Assessing forest harvesting impacts on furbearer habitat at the scale of Indigenous traplines – A case study in Indigenous consultation

The “Assessing forest harvesting impacts on furbearer habitat at the scale of Indigenous traplines – A case study in Indigenous consultation and forest conservation” project is planned to enhance the understanding of Indigenous rights holders concerning forest management activities that impact the distribution of forest types and ages upon which the forest dwelling wildlife that sustain traditional trapping and harvesting depend. It also promises to lay the groundwork for customized consultation approaches with Indigenous tenure holders, such that the aims of consultation are actually achieved. Current approaches to managing and maintaining wildlife habitat consider the availability of forests of a certain type and condition across vast areas between 100,000 ha to over 2 million ha in size. Trapline areas, by comparison, are small, rarely exceeding 10,00 ha in size. According to the status quo, mature forest within traplines that is eligible for harvesting at the macro scale of large forest management units is often planned to be harvested, with little effective consultation with Indigenous rights holders surrounding how these activities may affect habitat suitability within trapline areas upon which they depend for physical, cultural, and spiritual importance.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jay Malcolm;Ben Kuttner

Student:

Aditi Chanda

Partner:

Wahkohtowin Development General Partner Inc.

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Toronto