Local Indigenous Knowledge and Values Framework: Foreshore Integrated Management Planning – Nicola Lake | |
|---|---|
| type | Report |
| author | Georgia Peck; Brian Holmes; Claire Armstrong |
| abstract | With the protection of Nicole Lake in mind, Living Lakes Canada has partnered with the Upper Nicola Band to co-create a Local Indigenous Knowledge and Values Framework. The intent of this Framework is to promote more balanced, sustainable, and ethical lake management by harmonizing Indigenous Knowledge and Western science, and creating opportunities for both worldviews to work in tandem. This is achieved through surveying and mapping the Nicola Lake shoreline, assessing habitat value, and establishing guidelines to conserve ecosystems, support climate resiliency and protect species of conservation concern. The development of this framework was guided by the foundational captíkʷł (oral stories) of the Four Food Chiefs which describes how food was made available to people from the four food Chiefs; land (black bear), water (king salmon), underground (bitter root) and plants (saskatoon). “Traditional Knowledge can help lakeshore monitoring by understanding the different ways to monitor and what to monitor for. I find there is quite a distance between Western science monitoring and Traditional monitoring but other times there are similarities. It’s about bringing those two together, including those Knowledge Keepers, the First Nations, within that monitoring to help understand each world. Our water is not in a healthy state at the moment. There is more pressure, more water demand, water withdrawal, and climate change impacts such as higher temperatures causing massive issues for water quality. Various human activities along the shoreline are speeding up these processes. If we look just across the lake here, we have stories of battles and pithouses, and now all we see are developments. What impact is this having on the fish, plants, and animals that utilize this space and water? It’s really important that this gets dealt with in my time so my children can live with clean water.” ~Brian Holmes, Upper Nicola Band, on the importance of collaborative planning and relationship building around water stewardship |
| keywords | Indigenous, Indigenous Knowledge, First Nations, Nicola Lake |
| date | 2023 |
| publisher | Living Lakes Canada |
| attachments | |
Local Indigenous Knowledge and Values Framework: Foreshore Integrated Management Planning – Nicola Lake
