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Topic

Exploring Species Distribution Modelling as a Tool to Support Knowledge of Country Food Access & Availability: Vaccinium vitis-idaea in the Gwich’in Settlement Area

Department of Geography

Date & location

• Friday, August 15, 2025

• 10:00 A.M.

• Clearihue Building

• Room B007

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Noemie Boulanger-Lapointe, Department of Geography, ßÉßɱ¬ÁÏ (Supervisor)

• Dr. Esther Lévesque, Département des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Member)

• Dr. Erin Cameron, Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Rowenna Gryba, Senior Science Policy Advisor, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Helen Kurki, Department of Anthropology, UVic

   

Abstract

In the Canadian North berries are essential, being used extensively as a food source, for medicines, and for dyes. In the Gwich'in Settlement Area alone, it is estimated that more than 5,000 liters of these berries are harvested per year. Unfortunately, climate change poses a serious threat to berry harvests and has led to a noticeable decline in the condition and yield of harvestable berries across the arctic. Berries have been a staple food source for generations of northern residents and are equally important to northern animals, particularly birds, small mammals, bears, pollinators and caribou. This work follows my collaboration with the Gwich’in Tribal Council to work towards creating a species distribution model of Vaccinium vitis-idaea (mountain cranberry) with Indigenous Knowledge in the forms of participatory mapping data and quotes from interviews. During this process, I explore two separate methodological frameworks in species distribution modeling, both of which include IK in different ways. The first is a presence-absence model, where harvest locations are utilized as highly abundant locations. The second is a random forest which employs field data to generate an abundance model of predicted harvestable yield of mountain cranberry fruit, validated with the help of IK. This work aims to showcase methodological frameworks that could help Indigenous Governments and ecologists investigate biology throughout their land.