Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program

National Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Symposium, Winnipeg, Manitoba

November 7, 2017

Marie-Ève Néron, DirectorClimate Change and Clean Energy DirectorateNatural Resources and Environment Branch

Outline

• Context and background• Climate change impacts in Canada• How is climate monitored?• What is community-based monitoring?• What can community-based monitoring do

for you?• About the Indigenous Community-Based

Climate Monitoring Program• For more information about our programs• Annex:

– Examples of climate monitoring projects– INAC climate change funding programs

Photo: Natural Resources Canada

2

• National Indigenous Organizations identified two key needs through the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change:– Community-based climate monitoring– Integration of Indigenous Knowledge with western science-based

climate information and decision-making

• The are significant climate data gaps in parts of Canada:– Lack of weather monitoring stations– Leads to projections and weather forecasts not being reliable

In Budget 2017, INAC received $31.4 million over five years to implement an Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program to help address these gaps.

Context and background

3

Climate change impacts in Canada• Increasing risks for natural ecosystems, water availability/quality, food security, health and

safety, coastal communities, infrastructure, and natural resource industries

Reduced glacier cover

Permafrost degradation

Increased frequency of droughts

Reduced ice cover

Increased pest and

fire activity

Lower Great Lakes: water levels

Changing animal distributions

Sea level rise and increased coastal erosion

Reduced reliability of ice roads

Heat stress and vector-borne diseases

Increased frequency of flooding

How is climate monitored?

• Through observation and measurement of “climate indicators” such as:

PHYSICALprecipitation

air temperature water temperature

sea icesea level

coastal erosionpermafrost

flooding

BIOLOGICALwildlife

vegetation

(changes in abundance, range, or species)

CLIMATE INDICATORS

5

What is community-based monitoring?

• There is no single, widely accepted definition of community-based monitoring (CBM).

• CBM is nothing new - Indigenous Peoples have been using local environmental observations to make decisions for millenia, even if “monitoring” has not been the term used.

• CBM is a tool used by communities to gather information to support land-use planning, resource management, and climate adaptation.

• CBM combines Indigenous Knowledge with western science.• CBM can involve collaboration with external partners such as government

agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations.

“CBM is monitoring by the people, for the people”. - Eddie Carmack

Institute of Ocean Sciences, BC

6

What can community-based monitoring do for you?

invest in Indigenous researchers

provide training engage

youth

help knowledge

transfer

enhance connection

to land

empower communities

support self-determination

build capacity and

skills

support policy

decisions

strengthen community

relationships

Photo: CIER

strengthenelder-youth

relationships

support climate change

adaptation

7

About the Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program (1 of 2)

• Program objectives: – To support Indigenous communities in monitoring climate change impacts through

documenting Indigenous Knowledge and climate information– To collect and share information to support climate change adaptation and help increase

our understanding of climate change

• Who can apply:– Indigenous communities and organizations– Band or tribal councils

• Funding areas include:– Community-based climate monitoring: 1) Direct funding to Indigenous communities to

engage community members and youth in monitoring; and 2) Documenting climate change impacts using Indigenous Knowledge, western science, and modern technology

– Indigenous Knowledge, data management, and information sharing: Support the development of protocols, tools and methodologies to collect, share, and use information

– Connecting data, researchers, and networks: Support the development of collaborative approaches engaging Indigenous communities and scientists to support information sharing

8

About the Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program (2 of 2)

• Key proposal aspects: Measuring and monitoring climate and environmental changes caused by climate

changeSupporting Indigenous communities, using and protecting Indigenous Knowledge, and

building monitoring capacity at a local levelEngaging Indigenous youth wherever possible in projects

• Currently accepting proposals: Contact the Program to discuss potential projects that could be carried out by March 31, 2018.

• Call for Proposals 2018-2019:– To be issued in late November 2017 for 2018-2019 projects– We will post funding guidelines and a proposal template on our website– February 2018 deadline

• Not ready for 2018-2019? No problem, there will be an annual Call for Proposals.

• Want to get involved? We are looking for Indigenous representatives on our Management Board to review and approve projects.

9

For more information about our programs• Please visit INAC’s climate change webpage• ICBCM Program e-mail: aadnc.SurveillanceClimat-

ClimateMonitoring.aandc@canada.ca• Telephone: 1-800-567-9604

10

Annex 1: Examples of climate monitoring projects

• Examples of projects funded by the Program in this pilot year

Monitoring water quality

and environmental

changes in Qamani’tuaq(Baker Lake),

Nunavut

Monitoring ringed seals, polar

bears, and their habitat on the

Belcher Islands, Nunavut

Building capacity for community-

based monitoring in the Inuvialuit Settlement

Region

Community-based

monitoring of Arctic Char in Nunatsiavut

Monitoring the thawing

landscape in Jean Marie River First

Nation territory, NWT

Indigenouscommunity-

basedmonitoring forum in

Whitehorse, Yukon

Photo: DFO

Photo: DFO

11

Annex 2: INAC climate change funding programs

•$21.5 million over five years in Budget 2016 and a further $25.4 million over five years in Budget 2017 •Funding for regional capacity, community adaptation planning,

and implementation of adaptation measures

Climate Change Preparedness in the North

Program

•$25.3 million over five years in Budget 2016 and a further $27 million over five years in Budget 2017 •Funding for community adaptation planning, identification and

assessment of adaptation measures, and developing flood plain mapping on-reserve

First Nation AdaptProgram

•$10.7 million over two years in Budget 2016 and $53.5 million over ten years (starting in 2018-2019) in Budget 2017 •Funding for planning and construction and capacity building

Northern ResponsibleEnergy Approach for Community Heat and

Electricity Program

Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring

Program

•$26.4 million over five years in Budget 2017•Funding for National Indigenous Organizations and non-represented

communities and regional Indigenous organizations

MIT

IGAT

ION

& M

ON

ITO

RIN

GAD

APTA

TIO

NEngaging Indigenous

Peoples in Climate Policy Program

•$31.4 million over five years in Budget 2017•Funding for community-based climate monitoring; Indigenous

Knowledge, data management and information sharing; and connecting data, researchers, and networks

12