Tlicho Wildlife Workshop Held in Gamètì

Good wildlife management starts with good wildlife information and research.  But how do we set research priorities?  What are the wildlife topics most on people’s minds?  What are the important questions?  What approaches can we use to find answers?

This winter, there was an opportunity to bring together Tłįcho community members and scientists to share information in a two-day Tłįcho Wildlife Research workshop held in Gamètì on February 20-21, 2013. The WRRB partnered with the Tłįcho Culture and Lands Protection Department (formerly Tłįcho Lands Protection Department), the Wek’èezhìı  Land and Water Board (WLWB), and Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) to organize the workshop.  Mike Nitsiza, from Whatì, facilitated the workshop. 

 

A big part of the Tłįcho Agreement is about co-management and working together.  This is one of the first, exciting on-the-ground opportunities to work with community members and develop relationships and to learn how to move forward with management and stewardship responsibilities.  - Kerri Garner, Director, Tłįcho Lands Protection Department

Harvesters, elders, youth and women from each of the four Tłįcho communities, biologists and technical staff focused on four themes over the two days: Fish/Water, Wolves, Caribou Health and Caribou Collaring.  (Open links to read more about each theme)   Each session began with a brief presentation to provide background information and set the stage for focused discussion. The participants then broke into small groups (elders, harvesters, youth and women or by community) to answer specific questions related to the main theme.  Each group then reported back to the group as a whole.   Small group discussions worked very well; everyone had an opportunity to contribute their knowledge and ideas and hear from the larger group as well.  It also turned out to be a good format for dialogue and problem-solving as community members and technical staff tackled the questions together in their groups –and offered their observations and ideas.

 

An important goal for the Tłįcho Wildlife Research Workshop was to seek the input and advice of Tłįcho communities—and to promote their participation in research and management planning.

The information collected will be written into a workshop report, which can be used by the various agencies for management planning and priority setting.  Research planning can build on communities’ extensive knowledge of the land and its wildlife –and on the scientific data that biologists are gathering.  Workshops like this one are an excellent forum for bringing people, information and ideas together, and it’s hoped there will be more opportunities to explore other wildlife topics in future.