Yellowknife (May 12/03) - The polar bear is like a big, furry, white canary in a coal mine, according to aboriginal environmentalist Rosemarie Kuptana.

"They aren't doing too well and scientists predict they could be extinct within 50 years, unless we make some changes," she said.

Kuptana, who has was named to the Order of Canada for her work on Northern environmentalism, was in Yellowknife recently to speak at an aboriginal health forum.

The conference was put on by the National Aboriginal Health Organization to discuss topics from traditional medicine and survival skills to cutting edge medicine, science and nutrition.

Kuptana spoke on a panel discussing the close link between aboriginal health and the health of the environment. She is an expert on using traditional knowledge in environmental research and believes it could play a critical role in understanding climate change and ensuring the long-term health of Northern people.

"We're feeling a real impact of climate change in the North and we're being shut out of decision making process that affect us," she said. "I'd like to see a greater partnership between traditional knowledge and science because we're the ones who know the land."

For example, the Inuit should be given more say in the Kyoto process, Kuptana said.

"It's extremely urgent," she said. "We have to get our message out about what's happening here."

Sonny Flett, who was a consultant on Metis traditional knowledge who worked on the Northern River Basins Study, said aboriginal knowledge can play a key role in environmental research.

"When they started the Northern River Study it was clear to them that there was a large gap in their research," he said. "That gap was filled by traditional knowledge."