José Gérin-Lajoie Alain Cuerrier

Laura Siegwart Collier Esther Lévesque Luise Hermanutz

Greg Henry Carmen Spiech

From Nain, Nunatsiavut to Kugluktuk, Nunavut:

Analysing vegetation change by interviewing local experts

from 8 Inuit communities across the Canadian Arctic

Photo: B. Tremblay

Rationale•

Arctic

vegetation

is

changing,

especially shrub growth. It can have strong impacts on:–

distribution of plant and animal species;

–

berry productivity;–

permafrost.

•

Thus affecting:–

hunting, fishing and gathering activities;

–

infrastructures as airstrips, buildings.

Plants: good integrators, indicators

of changes.

People: users, good observers

of changes.

Goetz et al, 2005: Satellite observed photosynthetic trends 1981-2003 by NDVI-8km resolution.

NainKangirsualujjuaq

Umiujaq

Kangirsujuaq

Pangnirtung

Pond Inlet

Baker Lake

Kugluktuk

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit

•

Inuit perception of vegetation

and environment

changes comparing

back then

with

nowadays: Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) or Inuit living memory.

Nain, NunatsiavutPopulation: 1035 (2006 census)

Photo: Andrew Trant

Kangirsualujjuaq, Ungava BayPopulation: 735 (2006)

Kangirsujuaq, Hudson StraitPopulation: 605 (2006)

Umiujaq, Hudson BayPopulation: 390 (2006)

Pangnirtung, South BaffinPopulation: 1325 (2006)

Pond Inlet, North

BaffinPopulation: 1315 (2006)

Baker Lake, Central NunavutPopulation: 1730 (2006)

Kugluktuk, Western NunavutPopulation: 1302 (2006)

Methodology•

Semi-structured

interviews with

interpreters;•

144 interviewees

from

2007 to 2010;•

Age from

44 to 92 (median

age: 69);•

56 men, 88 women;•

8 communities;•

Questionnaire;•

Pictures;•

Mapping.

Enosilk NashalikPangnirtung

Lucassi NappaalukKangirsujuaq

Viola NapartukUmiujaq

Willie EmudlukKangirsualujjuaq

Elisapi OotoovakPond Inlet

Norman AttunvalaBaker Lake

Alice AyalikKugluktuk

Christine BaikieNain

Methodology•

Codification of data:–

Ordinal matrix

(54 variables):

•

-1: Less, earlier, smaller, colder;•

1: More, later, longer, warmer;•

0: No change, does

not know, did

not answer.–

Binary

matrix

(30 variables):

•

1: Change;•

0: No change.

•

Ordination techniques:–

Principal Component Analysis

(PCA).

•

Frequency

analyses to look at

consensus (>50%).

Results-PCA

Axis 1: 18,03%

-6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8

Axis

2: 9

,11%

-4

-2

0

2

4

6NainKangiqsualujjuaqKangiqsujuaqUmiujaqPangnirtungPond InletBaker LakeKugluktuk

•

No difference

between

men and women

or group ages (<69, >=69).

Nain n=23

Kangirsualujjuaq n=9

Kangirsujuaq n=17

Umiujaq n=20

Pangnirtung n=19

Pond Inlet n=15

Baker Lake n=24

Kugluktuk n=17

Hydrology 57 c 89 c 82 c 65 c 96 c 94 cSnow abundance 91 ↓ 67 ↓ 82 ↓ 96 ↓ 100 ↓Snow melt 67 c 53 cRain abundance 70 ↑ 53 ↑ 58 ↓ 88↓Sea ice freeze-up 57 ↑ 59 ↑Sea ice break up 52 ↓ 67 ↓ 88 ↓ 53 ↓ 60 ↓Sea ice thickness 61 ↓ 78 ↓ 65 ↓Lake break up 53 ↓Wind 78 ↑ 100 ↑ 80 ↑ 67 ↑ 88 ↑ 88 ↑Winter 96 ↑ 76 ↑Spring 65 ↑ 82 ↑Summer 70 ↑ 53 ↑ 82 ↑Fall 57 ↑ 71 ↑Temperature 70 ↓ 56 ↑Weather variation 91 ↑ 59 ↑ 67 ↑

Frequency

analyses-Water and ClimateTable 1. Consensus of change observed (> 51%) in environmental factors among 144 interviewees across Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Nunavut, from 2007-2010.

↓: Less, earlier, smaller, colder; ↑: More, later, longer, warmer; c: Change.

•

When you have a snow storm it just blows away, lots of snow comes down but it never stays; it’s hard now to find good snow to make snow houses. Julius Ikkusek, Nain.•

The wind is harsher now; there seems to be more fog and rain,

we have seen weeks with fog. Jessica Ford, Nain.

• Lots of lakes have dried out andrivers are smaller than before. Some of them, you can now cross on rocks!Susie Morgan, Lucas A. Etok, Sarah-Paasa Annanack, Kangirsualujjuaq.

• Back then, the wind was blowing a long time from the same direction. Nowadays, the weather is more unpredictable and the wind changesrapidly and blows stronger, especially in early July. Juusipi Nappaaluk, Kangirsujuaq.

Frequency

analyses-VegetationTable 2. Consensus of change observed (> 51%) in vegetation factors among 144 interviewees across Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Nunavut, from 2007-2010.

↓: Less, earlier, smaller, colder; ↑: More, later, longer, warmer; c: Change.

Nain n=23

Kangirsualujjuaq n=9

Kangirsujuaq n=17

Umiujaq n=20

Pangnirtung n=19

Pond Inlet n=15

Baker Lake n=24

Kugluktuk n=17

Plant blooming 67 ↓Plant abundance 87 ↑ 67 ↑Plant distribution 56 cTree abundance 83 ↑ 56 ↑Shrub abundance 96 ↑ 56 ↑ 76 ↑ 85 ↑ 53 ↑ 71 ↑Berries abundance 96 ↓Berry size 74 ↓Berry taste 52 cBlueberry abundance 53 ↑Arpiq ripening 67 ↓Arpiq abundance 61 ↓ 78 ↑

• There’s a lot of little new trees growing in different places...I see that a lot...I’ve heard other people commenting on them. Christine Baikie, Nain.

•

Near the sea, trees and shrubs are now growing where there was none before; mostly willows. Johnny-George Annanack, Kangirsualujjuaq.

• There were no trees on the coast before; they started to grow in 1988-90. They grow so much now! Lucas A. Etok, Kangirsualujjuaq.

•

Shrubs are starting to grow in June now, they used to grow in July. They grow more all around, over the paurngait (crowberries) areas. There were not so many when we moved here in1945.Alice Ayalik, Kugluktuk.

•

The shrubs are bigger everywhere around here, spreading around. Siasi Naluktuk, Lizzie Crow, Zackiasie Niviaxie, Ernest Tumic,

Dinah Tookalook, Umiujaq.

• Arpik (Cloudberries) are now growing everywhere, in places where there were none before. Back then, you would find them in the mountain, among birch. They grow bigger near the water. Willie Emudluk, Kangirsualujjuaq.

Kangirsualujjuaq

2007

Frequency

analyses-Land, Animals, HumansTable 3. Consensus of change observed (> 51%) in land, animals and human factors among 144 interviewees across Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Nunavut, from 2007-2010.

↓: Less, earlier, smaller, colder; ↑: More, later, longer, warmer; c: Change.

Nain n=23

Kangirsualujjuaq n=9

Kangirsujuaq n=17

Umiujaq n=20

Pangnirtung n=19

Pond Inlet n=15

Baker Lake n=24

Kugluktuk n=17

Permafrost 61 ↑ 56 ↑ 58 ↑ 71 ↑ 76 ↑Erosion 52 ↑ 56 ↑ 65 ↑Mammal abundance 96 c 56 c 71 c 80 cBird abundance 61 cBlack fly abundance 65 ↓Travel routes 83 c 65 cWay of life 61 cTotal consensus for change 26 16 13 3 3 4 6 13

•

Since 2001-2002, there is less permafrost retaining water under the small streams, resulting in lower water levels. Now plants are invading these dried-up streams and lakes. Tivi Etok, Kangirsualujjuaq.

•

The traditional route is not always usable; the older generations can travel, but the younger ones cannot because they don’t know the land like we do. Lucas Ittulak, Nain.•

Ice is melting faster nowadays, so we tend to spend more time

inland. Lukasi Nappaaluk, Kangirsujuaq.•

I hope we never loose our country food because without that,

what will we do? Sarah Pasha Annanack, Kangirsualujjuaq.

Results

Goetz et al, 2005: Satellite observed photosynthetic trends 1981-2003 (mean growing season)

Come visit

our

poster, #66!

Nakurmiik!Quyannamiik!

Maatna!Koanna!Merci!

Tukisivit? Questions?

Rationales•

In parallel, IPY-CiCAT

and ArcticNet projects

looking

at

vegetation

change:

–

Aerial

Photo analysis–

Satellite images

–

Warming

experiments–

Permanent plots

–

Influence of shade

on shrub

growth–

Berry productivity

–

Pollinators

•

Here

we

focus on perception of vegetation

change

Vegetation

change

•

Influenced by climatic factors, vegetation changes like treeline

patterns affected

animal distribution and consequently, Inuit and Innu people

who were nomads and

closely related to animal migration patterns modified their travel routes (Fitzhugh 1977, 1997; Fitzhugh and Lamb 1985).