I Spy Through a Camera’s Eye: Divii in the Gwich’in Settlement Area

Abstract

Temperatures in the Arctic are increasing at a rate two to three times faster than the global average (Cohen et al., 2014), which is disproportionately impacting wildlife and Indigenous peoples residing in these landscapes (Ford and Smit, 2004; Parkinson and Berner, 2009; Brinkman et al., 2016). Climate change is altering tundra vegetation productivity and phenology, modifying snow conditions, and increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events (Mann et al., 2017; Myers-Smith et al., 2020). These ecological changes are further impacting vertebrate species in ways currently not well understood. Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli), a species of cultural, ecological, and economical significance, is an example of one species facing the current and looming threats of climate change. Uncertainty about the effects of ecological change on Dall sheep population demographics and mortality factors highlights the critical need for additional research to support effective stewardship decision making (Aycrigg et al., 2021). Dall sheep surveys are critical for understanding population f luctuations and modelling future trends, and aerial surveys providing single snapshot views of a population are currently the accepted survey method (Whitten, 1996; Udevitz et al., 2006). However, aerial surveys are expensive, highly weather-dependent, and cause significant stress to sheep (Frid, 2003), limiting the frequency and coverage of data. Remote wildlife cameras, on the other hand, are an emerging non-invasive survey method that provides continuous sampling of entire mammal communities, which can be further evaluated to model population changes over time in relation to environmental variables and interactions among multiple species (Burton et al., 2015; Caravaggi et al., 2020; Kays et al., 2020). Using remote wildlife cameras to derive and model critical wild sheep population demographics is a novel application of the method (Taylor et al., 2022) and may serve as a viable alternative to aerial surveys. The Northern Richardson Mountains in the Northwest Territories (NWT) are home to the northernmost population of Dall sheep (divii in Gwich’in [Gwich’in Language Dictionary, 2003]) in Canada. Though a species of significant cultural and ecological importance in the region (Gwich’in Elders, 1997; Shaw et al., 2005), this population has shown dramatic fluctuations since minimum count aerial surveys commenced in the 1980s (Lambert Koizumi et al., 2011). Extremely low numbers in 2014, limited demographic data, and lack of knowledge about causes of population fluctuations has prompted significant concern from local communities and government (Lambert Koizumi et al., 2011; Environment Yukon, 2019). It is from this concern that a Gwich’in community-based divii monitoring program was initiated in 2018. As part of this broader, community-based monitoring program, my MSc research is evaluating and modelling divii population demographics and mammal community interactions through the use of a combination of aerial surveys and novel methods using remote wildlife cameras. This project is being conducted in partnership with the Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board (GRRB) and in communication with the Ehdiitat, Tetlit, Nihtat, and Gwichya Gwich’in Renewable Resource Councils (RRCs).