Identifying effective measures for environmental monitoring by Aboriginal communities

Canadian resource developments typically result in monitoring programs that fail to fully include surrounding communities. In addition, monitoring protocols for single environmental values can be insufficient for addressing cumulative impacts of resource development. Community-based environmental monitoring (CBEM) is emerging as a way to include local citizens in the decision-making process. My research produced a set of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of CBEM with a focus on Aboriginal communities. In 2013, I interviewed staff from fifteen CBEM programs from across Canada. Considering the challenges facing individual communities, I interviewed seventeen natural resource practitioners from northern British Columbia and twenty Takla Lake First Nation members. Results demonstrate that CBEM offers a locally adapted and culturally applicable approach to facilitate community participation in resource management. This research validates the use of CBEM for improving resource management through: locally guided monitoring protocols; addressing cumulative impacts; informing decision- making; and increasing awareness, communication, and knowledge amongst community and partners.