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A new environmental study will examine, among other things, caribou herds like the one shown here that crossed the Ingraham Trail just north of Yellowknife in October 2004. - photo courtesy of Resources Wildlife and Economic Development

Enviro-study based on traditional knowledge

Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 14/05) - The federal government will spend $350,000 on a territory-wide environmental study that will examine, among other things, climate change, water quality and animal migration routes.

"The recommendations that come out of the audit will be important for protecting and improving the quality and health of the environment," said Andy Scott, the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in a statement last month.

The study will cover the entire territory and be based largely on discussions with aboriginal groups, said David Livingstone, Director of Resources and the Environment with INAC.

"(There) will not be scientific studies per se," Livingstone said. "Most of the information will come from consultations with local people."

The format will ensure traditional knowledge is incorporated into environmental protection plans, said John B. Zoe, a member of the committee that is overseeing the study.

"As a result, aboriginal people and Northern communities will help to protect the land for the future," Zoe said.

Researchers will focus on a variety of environmental issues, including the migratory patterns of birds and caribou, water quality in lakes and rivers, industrial development and effects of climate change.

The information from the study -- compiled by an environmental consulting firm -- will be made public, but its release is not related to the construction of the $7 billion Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, said Livingstone.

The pipeline project, which would carry oil and natural gas from the Delta and Sahtu into Northern Alberta, is in the midst of its own environmental assessment.

The territory-wide study is being billed by the federal government as the first of its kind in the NWT.

It is slated for completion by April.