Salmon are an essential indicator of the health of the whole ecosystem. If the habitat quality declines, then we don’t have salmon anymore. Salmon is so central to the culture and the community here that if salmon where to die off we would lose a whole part of our identity.
The study also found that there is concern about certain key human factors including mental health, well-being, and impacts to cultural practices and traditions. Findings also showed concern over environmental costs and impacts to the economy. One participant shared:
If climate change and environmental issues keep accelerating, it is going to cost our community millions of dollars for damage control. Nothing is more detrimental than having to move a whole community. It’s not just about the dollars, it’s about losing sacred traditional lands and the fear of having that land disappear.
The study identified that the most concerning stressors for First Nations in Atlantic Canada were land use practices, and concerns over federal and provincial policies respecting the environment. Next steps include the identification of new tools and resources for First Nations to use to assess, manage and mitigate cumulative effects throughout the region.
The APC also plans on developing a new cumulative effects web portal for First Nations to facilitate knowledge sharing and encourage collaboration across the region.
The APC Cumulative Effects Conference was proudly funded by the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE).