This PhD project used Inuit knowledge and aerial survey data across many years to analyse distribution, forage selection, foraging ecology, and physical condition of caribou in the arctic.

This Master's project documented an evaluation of the spatial utility of the Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op database and the many steps that are involved in the collection, storage, and organization of the Co-op’s data. It provided an excellent opportunity to explore the problem of depicting complex qualitative information on northern landscape change in an intelligible GIS format. Initial attempts to develop the database in spatial format were critically evaluated and recommendations were provided in order to explore whether the data gathering and subsequent mapping process can be improved, whether more useful information can be obtained from the data, and to ensure the proper handling of the data in future years.

This project looks at the effects of short and long term climatic change on caribou populations in the Arctic. The research concluded that Arctic ecological studies require extensive spatial and temporal data before impacts of anthropogenic climate change can be assessed. This will require a long-term interdisciplinary study integrating scientific data from several disciplines, as well as Inuit knowledge.

This project explored the challenges of representing Traditional Knowledge using western technologies, and the application of fuzzy methodologies for improving the representation. Inuit Elders and hunters in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, used maps to help represent their knowledge of caribou in the region, and these maps were processed in a GIS.

This project demonstrates how visual art can be used in combination with scientific and social science methods to examine the biocultural landscape of the Sahtú region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Specifically, it focuses on the intersection of Dene cultural diversity and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) intraspecific variation. 

This PhD project is an interdisciplinary study. The researcher used interviews with herders and hunters, local observations, and genetic analysis to understand how historical processes influence genetic identity and population structure of caribou and reindeer.

Caribou and wild reindeer (Rangifer) are integral to ecology and Aboriginal lives and culture in circumArctic regions. Since reaching peak size in the 1990s, most herds have been declining, while their ranges are changing as the footprint of people’s activities expands and the climate warms. More than ever, then, people need to share information and experience on Rangifer management and conservation. In recognition of this need for a circumArctic approach to monitoring, the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment (CARMA) network, a relatively informal group of scientists, community representatives, and management agencies, was established in 2004. CARMA emphasizes collaborating and sharing information on migratory tundra Rangifer and developing tools to deal with the impacts of global changes on these herds.

This study used interviews with Denésǫłiné elders and hunters from Łutsël K'é, Northwest Territories, Canada, to gather information on caribou body condition and environmental conditions.

This PhD project uses multiple disciplinary lenses to understand the dynamics of the social-ecological systems that are of critical importance to northern Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic. Barren ground caribou are part of these systems which contribute to nutritional, cultural, and spiritual well being that are today undergoing significant changes.