DIGITAL CONSERVATION ATLAS CASE STUDY by Timothy Burkhart
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COUNTER-MAPPING FOR CONSERVATION: DIGITAL CONSERVATION ATLAS CASE STUDY by Timothy Burkhart B.A., University of British Columbia, 2009 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA May 2018 © BURKHART 2018 Abstract Counter-Mapping seeks to empower communities to overturn the power dynamics of mapping by sharing a visual representation of space in a way that is accessible to the public and that presents utility to community conservation goals. Within a participatory action framework in partnership with the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative and local First Nations and communities, I built a web-accessible spatial mapping ‘hub’ for the Peace River Break region of BC. Through interviews with conservationists, First Nations and other community members, I examined the pitfalls and barriers communities in the Peace region face with mapping and mapping technology for conservation, including the case study atlas itself. A GIS-facilitated conservation strategy can address and integrate multiple voices, views and understanding of local conservation desires in the context of larger conservation visions such as Y2Y, but building a tool and engaging communities to use it pose very different, and unique, challenges. ii Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables...............................................................................................................................v List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgment ..................................................................................................................... vii 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 1.1 Conservation, Connectivity and Collaboration ........................................................... 1 1.2 Conservation and Technology ..................................................................................... 5 1.3 Research Purpose ........................................................................................................ 7 1.4 Thesis Structure ........................................................................................................... 8 2.0 Literature Review ...........................................................................................................10 2.1 Deconstructing the Power of Maps ........................................................................... 10 2.2 Participatory GIS and Indigenous Counter-Mapping ................................................ 15 2.3 Mapping in Conservation Area Designs ................................................................... 19 2.4 Counter-Mapping Conservation ................................................................................ 21 2.5 Counter-Mapping and Geo-Social Media ................................................................. 24 3.0 Methodology ..................................................................................................................28 3.1 Case Study: Design of a Digital Conservation Atlas for the Peace River Break ...... 28 3.2 Overview of Methods ................................................................................................ 35 3.2. Participatory Action Research ................................................................................... 37 3.4 Data Management and Privacy .................................................................................. 50 3.5 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 50 4.0 Development of the Case Study – How the Digital Atlas Worked ...............................53 5.0 Discussion and Interpretation of Findings .....................................................................67 iii 5.1 Maps Give Their Audience the Lie of the Land, on Behalf of Who Tells the Lie ........ 68 5.2 Counter-mapping Provides a Pathway to Engage Land-use Planning with Legitimacy 79 5.3 Digital Mapping Tools Can Assist Communities in Counter-mapping Practice ...... 86 5.4 Accessing Mapping Data is a Major Challenge ........................................................ 88 5.5 Some Barriers to Data Collection are Valid to Protect Sensitive Values or Features 94 5.4 A Digital Atlas Could Provide a Pathway for Community Counter-mapping ........ 100 6.0 Conclusion and Recommendation................................................................................107 6.1 Lessons for Evaluating a Digital Atlas Tool ........................................................... 107 6.2 Recommendations for Data Basin Modifications.................................................... 107 6.3 Research Design ...................................................................................................... 109 6.4 Final Thoughts: Counter-mapping Conservation with a Digital Atlas .................... 111 References ...............................................................................................................................116 Appendices ..............................................................................................................................126 Appendix 1: Letter of Informed Consent ........................................................................... 126 Appendix 2: One-on-One Interview Topics ....................................................................... 131 Appendix 4: Newsletter...................................................................................................... 142 Appendix 5: Press Release ................................................................................................. 146 Appendix 6. Monkman Provincial Park Candidate Boundary Amendment ...................... 148 iv List of Tables Table 1. Initial Datasets Identified by Research Community 61 v List of Figures Figure 1. The Peace River Break Y2Y Region 4 Figure 2. Overview of Methods 36 Figure 3. The PAR Process 39 Figure 4. Yellowstone to Yukon Living Atlas on Data Basin 55 Figure 5. Screenshot of the PRB Digital Atlas Welcome Page. 64 Figure 6: Enbridge Northern Gateway Flyover and Counter-map 69 Figure 7. Oil and Gas Well Locations in the PRB, Data Basin. 76 Figure 8. Combined Linear Disturbance/Human Access in the PRB 83 vi Acknowledgment I would first like to thank my thesis advisors Dr. Pam Wright, Dr. Phillip Mullins and Dr. Roger Wheate, at the University of Northern British Columbia. Their help, encouragement and patience consistently supported and guided my work and steered me in the right the direction to find research and ultimately a career in conservation work. They have provided me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you! I would also like to thank the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, especially Wendy Francis, Juri Peepre, Sarah Cox, Karsten Hauer, Candace Batycki and Jodi Hilty, who were involved in the developing this research project, and supporting me throughout my graduate work. Without their passionate participation and input, this research project could not have been successfully conducted. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Jon Corbett, Associate Professor in Community, Culture and Global Studies at UBC Okanagan as the external examiner of this thesis, and I am gratefully indebted to him for his very valuable comments on this thesis. Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to the people of the Peace region, whose abiding love for the land, its natural resources and natural splendor, has been an inspiration for me. I especially must express my deep gratitude to the people and elders of Treaty 8 First Nations, past, present, and future, whose stewardship of the Peace landscape has endured since time immemorial. Thank You! vii 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Conservation, Connectivity and Collaboration Conservation of wildlife and ecosystems as a concept, discipline, and policy is built upon understanding the importance of wildlife and wilderness for humans and other species alike. Conservationists are often motivated to work to ensure that natural areas and wildlife will be maintained for the benefit of future generations. In the past, conservation theory has focused on the protection of special places, generally seen as ‘pristine’ and conforming to cultural views of primeval, untouched nature. Natural beauty was a primary criterion along with large, charismatic wildlife such as Grizzly Bears. Conservation has evolved to focus more on the concept of biodiversity, the variability within and amongst species and ecosystems (National Research Council US, 1999, p.2). Critical to conserving biodiversity is protecting habitat. Habitat conservation is a discipline and practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore habitat areas for wild plants and animals in order to prevent their extinction (Noss, et al. 1997)