Description

Session 5: Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK)

SUMMARY

5.1 Polar Bear Technical Committee Indigenous Knowledge Working Group

Jason Dicker and Allison Thompson

The Polar Bear Technical Committee (PBTC) provides technical advice and recommendations on the status of Canada’s polar bear subpopulations. The PBTC’s Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Working Group was formed in 2019 to make recommendations to the PBTC on improving how the PBTC includes, recognizes, and values both IK and knowledge holders. In this presentation, representatives from the PBTC IK Working Group will share reflections from the Working Group’s first six years, including: reviewing how PBTC has recognized, valued, and included IK and knowledge holders since its inception; researching how other species assessment bodies do this work and considering how these policies may be applied within the PBTC; and developing and implementing recommendations. The PBTC IK working group’s activities to date serve as a starting point for discussions on better recognizing and valuing IK, while building on the PBTC’s prior successes. This presentation is authored by the PBTC Indigenous Knowledge Working Group and as such the ideas and recommendations presented do not necessarily reflect the opinion of all PBTC members.