This master's project collected and documented Inuit observations to describe the population distribution of caribou and muskoxen in Nunavut.

This PhD project used Inuit knowledge and aerial survey data across many years to analyse distribution, forage selection, foraging ecology, and physical condition of caribou in the arctic.

This project was undertaken to improve understanding of Porcupine caribou herd distribution, movements, and habitat preferences to assist with developing a regional land use plan for the North Yukon Planning Region, Yukon Territory. Three different methods were used to identify current and historical patterns of caribou distribution and habitat preferences within the region to prioritize conservation areas. Two of the approaches focused on incorporating information on caribou distribution and migrations from scientific and local knowledge, while the third focused on identifying and mapping habitats suitable for supporting caribou.

This project looks at the effects of short and long term climatic change on caribou populations in the Arctic. The research concluded that Arctic ecological studies require extensive spatial and temporal data before impacts of anthropogenic climate change can be assessed. This will require a long-term interdisciplinary study integrating scientific data from several disciplines, as well as Inuit knowledge.

This PhD project is an interdisciplinary study. The researcher used interviews with herders and hunters, local observations, and genetic analysis to understand how historical processes influence genetic identity and population structure of caribou and reindeer.

Caribou and wild reindeer (Rangifer) are integral to ecology and Aboriginal lives and culture in circumArctic regions. Since reaching peak size in the 1990s, most herds have been declining, while their ranges are changing as the footprint of people’s activities expands and the climate warms. More than ever, then, people need to share information and experience on Rangifer management and conservation. In recognition of this need for a circumArctic approach to monitoring, the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment (CARMA) network, a relatively informal group of scientists, community representatives, and management agencies, was established in 2004. CARMA emphasizes collaborating and sharing information on migratory tundra Rangifer and developing tools to deal with the impacts of global changes on these herds.

Grounded in an Indigenous methodological framework and using dendroecology as a scientific assessment tool in combination with oral history analysis, this thesis project assessed changes to caribou movement patterns in the traditional territory of Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation (LKDFN), Northwest Territories, Canada.