Special One-time Funding Opportunity for Collaborative Barren-Ground Caribou Research Available as Part of Latest NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program Funding Intake

Home » Newswire » Special One-time Funding Opportunity for Collaborative Barren-Ground Caribou Research Available as Part of Latest NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program Funding Intake

Special One-time Funding Opportunity for Collaborative Barren-Ground Caribou Research Available as Part of Latest NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program Funding Intake

by ahnationtalk on September 14, 202250 Views

YELLOWKNIFE (SEPTEMBER 13, 2022) – The GNWT and Polar Knowledge Canada are partnering to provide approximately $850,000 annually for the next three years as part of a special one-time funding opportunity for barren ground caribou research.

The new opportunity

Barren-ground caribou are important to Indigenous peoples and the ecology of the NWT, but several herds have declined significantly in recent decades. This new initiative seeks to fill knowledge gaps about the declines in barren-ground caribou populations in the NWT. The partnership will invest in research and monitoring to address key questions influencing the health and populations of barren-ground caribou in the NWT.

This funding is open to all migratory barren-ground caribou research, knowledge and management practitioners, including academic researchers who collaborate with NWT agencies, Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, and communities.

The focus is on herds found partially or entirely in the NWT (Porcupine, Cape Bathurst, Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Bluenose-East, Bluenose-West, Bathurst, Beverly and Qamanirjuaq), but comparative studies may include other migratory herds in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, Alaska and northern Quebec/Labrador.

Methods rooted in traditional knowledge, science and/or community-led research and monitoring are encouraged. Approaches and methods may include:

monitoring;
research, modeling, and prediction;
knowledge synthesis and mobilization;

This is a one-time call for three years of funding. It extends targeted funding to barren-ground caribou research and monitoring through the NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP). Approximately $850K project funding ($650K from POLAR and $200K from NWT CIMP) is available each year for the duration of this three-year special initiative.

Standard funding intake

This initiative is in addition to funding available through the NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP), administered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. NWT CIMP distributes nearly $2 million annually for monitoring and research projects led by Indigenous, territorial and federal governments, Indigenous organizations, and academia.

The 2023-2024 intake is now open for applications. The first deadline is October 7, 2022, 4:00 pm MST.

All monitoring and research projects must address key cumulative impact monitoring priorities for caribou, water and fish. Project results provide valuable knowledge to inform the decision-making of resource managers, governments and communities.

Quotes

“Caribou, water and fish are critical to the social, cultural and environmental well-being of the Northwest Territories This one-time funding opportunity will improve our knowledge of the NWT’s most threatened caribou herds to inform decision-making – we’re excited tosee the results of this partnership.”
-Shane Thompson, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources

“Arctic Indigenous peoples have always had a close relationship with caribou, and in many NWT communities caribou are essential to food security. This funding partnership between POLAR and the GNWT will help Indigenous and scientific knowledge-holders apply new knowledge required for effective caribou management and maintaining the vital link between caribou and healthy communities well into the future.”
-Jennifer C. Hubbard, President and CEO, Polar Knowledge Canada

Quick facts

This additional funding from Polar Knowledge Canada and NWT CIMP, for collaborative barren-ground caribou research, will fund up to $100,000 for smaller projects annually. Larger project proposals will be considered where an applicant justifies an increased budget.
Recommendations on project funding are made by the NWT CIMP Steering Committee comprised of representatives from Indigenous, territorial and federal governments, Indigenous organizations and co-management boards.
$1.7 million in funding was distributed across 29 projects in 2022-2023 by NWT CIMP.