Biodiversity monitoring in Thaidene Nëné Indigenous protected area 

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Project Background

A collaborative effort involving Laurier researchers, local communities, and Indigenous, territorial, and federal governments, is underway to document and monitor wildlife in the NWT. In this project, Laurier researchers and their partners have recently focused on the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area, situated east of Yellowknife on the shores of Great Slave Lake. This project uses remote cameras and audio recorders to capture the movements and sounds of wildlife, providing valuable baseline information about the current state of the land and animals. The information plays a crucial role in understanding changes over time in the types of animals inhabiting Thaidene Nëné and shifts in animal behaviour. When combined with the traditional knowledge of Łutsël K’é Dene regarding the land and wildlife, this information helps make informed decisions about the preservation and stewardship of Thaidene Nëné.

Outcomes

In 2021-2022, Ni Hat’ni Dene and researchers installed 307 sets of cameras and audio recorders in Thaidene Nëné.

Activated by sensors when animals pass by, these cameras captured millions of images of caribou, muskox, sandhill cranes, and other species over the year.

These devices offer insights into animal whereabouts, activity patterns, and habitat preferences, which can be used to study animal behaviour, interactions between different species, animal health, and population demographics, including sex and age ratios.

The captured information also provides valuable land-related information, such as weather, snow cover, freeze-up, and green-up.

Impacts

Cameras and recording devices play a vital role in this study by providing non-intrusive, continuous monitoring of wildlife and their environments in Thaidene Nëné. These devices give researchers the ability to operate in remote locations and record data around the clock, making them essential tools for understanding wildlife and their habitats while minimizing human disturbance and ensuring data accuracy.

The images and recordings captured yield a wealth of information on animal behaviour, interactions, and environmental conditions. This information provides valuable insights into ecosystem dynamics, species diversity, and long-term trends. Additionally, Elders and knowledge keepers contribute to the understanding of wildlife patterns by sharing information about where they anticipate finding animals, animal behavior, and the environmental conditions they observe in the natural surroundings. These combined findings establish a reference point for the current state of the land and animals, allowing for a comparison to future efforts to quantify ecosystem changes. These insights can inform biodiversity management decisions and promote the long-term health of Thaidene Nëné's ecosystems.

Partners

• Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation
• Government of the Northwest Territories
• Canadian Wildlife Service
• Parks Canada
• University of British Columbia
• University of Alberta

More Information

• www.stewartresearch.ca
• Biodiversity Monitoring - Land of the Ancestors