Symposium
Career Track
Danielle Ignace, PhD
Assistant Professor, Indigenous Natural Sciences
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Indigenous People and their communities carry a time-honored understanding of their connection and understanding of place that has been handed down over generations. They have long been ecological experts of their homelands. The current climate and nature emergency is already causing and will continue to cause environmental disasters impacting the health of all ecosystems and affect our relations to land. Current models indicate intensification in the Earth’s water cycle, including but not limited to: increasing evaporation, ocean acidification, and the frequency and variability in extreme events, such as drought and flooding. Ecosystems are also impacted by wildfires which interact with and are often intensified by climate change. These quickly altering disturbance regimes and climatic conditions are making it challenging for species (including humans) to adapt, leading to substantial die-offs in terrestrial, freshwater, and oceanic ecosystems. The inclusion of diverse scientific disciplines, stakeholders, and knowledge systems is vital to ecosystem health and biodiversity, especially Indigenous knowledge and perspectives that have previously been excluded from adaptation management. Fire as an example, has been an integral tool for Indigenous communities, both as a way of life and tool to promote biodiversity and reduce the occurrence of catastrophic wildfires. In this symposium session, we will discuss traditional ecological knowledge as they apply to the 4 sacred elements: Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. This session will feature discussion of Indigenous fire burning practices, Indigenous fisheries, soil health and Indigenous agriculture, and Indigenous perspectives on climate, weather and oceans. We will hear from Indigenous scholars who work with Indigenous communities on research and activities that are motivated by needs of communities and in ways that align with community interests and values. These examples illuminate what it means to include Indigenous knowledge in shared decision-making. As ESA strives to be a more inclusive society, Indigenous scholars and cultural practitioners are essential to both collaborating across professional sectors and interrelated ecosystems in which they study. Together, this session will demonstrate how Indigenous scholars are bringing together contemporary and Indigenous knowledge systems to better understand our relationships with our environments, and will provide practical examples of how these two knowledge systems can work together to strengthen the approaches that are currently used for land stewardship.
Presenting Author: Melinda Adams – The University of California, Davis
Presenting Author: Danielle Ignace, PhD – The University of British Columbia
Co-Author: Laura Robinson – Upper Columbia United Tribes
Co-Author: Conor Giorgi – Spokane Tribe of Indians
Co-Author: Tom Biladeau – Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Co-Author: Casey Baldwin – Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Presenting Author: Melissa Arcand, Soil Science – University of Saskatchewan
Co-author: Anthony BD Johnston – Mistawasis Nêhiyawak