The purpose of this work is to meet the commitment of the Mackenzie River Basin Board (MRBB) by informing decision makers and basin residents about the current state of the aquatic ecosystem of the Mackenzie River Basin by producing a web based State of Aquatic Ecosystem Report (SOAER) for the Mackenzie River Basin, and to communicate this in a culturally appropriate manner that includes Indigenous knowledge and values.
The vision for the SOAER is:
To recognize the inherent value and importance of multiple knowledge systems in basin health assessment and create the space for people to come together and exchange knowledge;
To position Indigenous knowledge and western science on equal footing and work to dismantle power dynamics associated with conventional watershed assessments;
To recognize the basin as a place of meaning for people and tell the story of that place;
To build on the previous efforts of the MRBB and its committees to identify potential signs and signals (indicators) and available information across jurisdictions;* Culturally Appropriate means conforming to a culture’s acceptable expressions and standards of behaviour and thoughts.
To provide information (from multiple knowledge sources) to residents, governments (Indigenous, municipal, regional, provincial/territorial and federal), industries, and others to make informed decisions; and,
To provide an opportunity for education and outreach through the information presented.The SOAER will accommodate different methodologies for gathering, analyzing, interpreting and reporting on information gathered from multiple knowledges, in the manner that is culturally appropriate.
The final report is intended to provide Board Ministers with an understanding of the current state of the Mackenzie River Basin aquatic ecosystem, inform basin residents and decision-makers about the basin’s ecological integrity, and draw on multiple knowledge systems collectively (Indigenous knowledge and western science) to inform the assessment. Knowledge systems should produce knowledge independently, validate within their own stream and then come together to negotiate and ‘braid’ knowledge collaboratively to facilitate the sharing of the ‘best available knowledge’.
