Open Collections

Mulders, Tamika

University of British Columbia

Environmental assessment (EA) is an approvals process to determine whether large-scale resource development projects will have significant adverse impacts, and to mitigate these. Many Northwest Territories (NWT) communities and Dene and Métis Indigenous groups rely on traditional subsistence harvesting to offset high costs of store-bought foods in the north. Food security can be affected through direct environmental impacts such as contaminants, impacts to wildlife and fish habitat, and climate change. While resource development projects can have economic benefits, they can affect access to these land-based foods, and can also have cultural, social, economic and health effects, such as changed perception of the land, reduced traditional knowledge and language transmission, and a shift from traditional economy towards a wage-based economy. The research questions are: 1) how is food security currently addressed in EA processes in the NWT’s Mackenzie Valley, and 2) should food security be more explicitly addressed, and if so, how? These questions are explored using a three-step approach. A literature review describes the background and issues of food security and food sovereignty in general, and specific to the north. Through a qualitative document analysis of three Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) EA processes, I wrote three case studies and developed key themes relating to food security and common topics. Interviews with northern EA practitioners explored their experiences with food security and EA, and recommendations for improvement. Addressing food security credibly requires a holistic systems approach, evidence-based decision-making using relevant data collection and monitoring, and by listening to community concerns. Key themes included contaminants and perception of the land, food’s importance to cultural continuity, health and well-being, economic factors, environmental and climate factors, access and harvest pressure, and Indigenous sovereignty. The results highlight that while food security itself is not a major issue in EA, impacts to traditionally harvested foods affect culture, well-being and Indigenous sovereignty and autonomy. Food security is often implicit in EA in discussions of harvesting. If issues are not put in the context of food, there is a risk that project mitigations and measures may not appropriately address impacts to people.

Text

2024-01-02

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87010

Earth and Environmental Sciences

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/