Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

CANADA #56:Hudson Bay Summit: Focusing scientific, public and political attention on the anthropogenic factors influencing the future of the Hudson/James Bay Ecosystem.  (Hudson Bay Summit)

Outline
To plan, organize and convene an international, interdisciplinary summit on the future of the Hudson James Bay ecosystem to better understand the cumulative impact of anthropogenic activities on this ecosystem and to help generate community, scientific and policy support in identifying and meeting the challenges associated with a changing Hudson James Bay. The conference will designed to build upon three essential pillars: 1) Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), 2) Scientific knowledge of major stresses influencing estuarine, coastal and offshore environments in Hudson Bay and beyond; 3) Generating increased interest in safeguarding the future of the Hudson James Bay ecosystem. Preparations will include a) updating and initiating activities to enhance the capacity to understand and communicate the knowledge and concerns of community hunters, gatherers and elders amongst themselves and to the broader community, and b) to ensure that the preparatory planning for the Summit and the preparation of Summit documents are completed in a timely, comprehensive and effective manner. Three major tasks are to consult with coastal and island communities to update an earlier 1992 TEK review, to initiate a community- based monitoring system through an initial survey of contaminant levels in the food-web of the Belcher Islands ecosystem, and to manage and communicate this knowledge using an updating a GIS system that has been developed to link the results of TEK reviews and community-based monitoring together with knowledge from other sources, including research publications and satellite images. A Steering Committee will be established to oversee the planning and conduct of the project to: develop and finalize a Summit program and to ensure that required inputs are received in a timely manner; to conduct the summit and the preparation and communication of outputs from the summit. The Summit is scheduled for 2007 and would be developed around central questions to be addressed in plenary sessions. Additional technical sessions are planned. Well-known spokespersons/ personalities will be approached to gain their support and to enhance the visibility of the Summit. It is anticipated that the Summit will have three chairpersons reflecting community, public policy and scientific perspectives. Products developed as a result of this Summit are likely to include a) a Summit Statement; b) a Summit proceedings of the plenary session and key technical papers. c) An implementation plan to help ensure that the Summit is a focal point for future planning and action.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
A primary goal is to advance our understanding of the state of the environment of the Hudson James Bay ecosystem with a particular focus on the changes that are occurring and the factors (especially anthropogenic factors) driving change. Oceanographic linkages between Hudson Bay and the Labrador Sea are an important aspect as are lessons to be learned from other inland seas such as the Baltic and Black Seas. One of the major objectives is to bring together personnel addressing emerging areas of investigation including linkages between land-based alteration of the hydrologic cycle and nutrient and ice dynamics in estuarine, coastal and offshore marine areas. A significant part of this project would focus on the communication and application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its importance to understanding the Hudson James Bay ecosystem.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Very preliminary discussions have been held with a number of Canadian, United States and Swedish scientists active in major international work on coastal and marine areas. The intent in phase one of this proposed project would be to involve international participation in the detailed planning of the Hudson Bay Summit.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
To collect samples for an intial food-chain survey of food web contaminants in and around the Belcher Islands. Updating of an earlier (1992) survey of TEK in Hudson and James Bay communities will require travel to aboriginal communities for attendance of community spokespersons to a TEK workshop.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: TEK workshop preparation 06/05-10/06      TEK workshop & follow-up 10/06-12/07      Initial Food Web Survey 01/ 05–12/ 06
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
A small laboratory with provisions for storage of samples collected during the food web survey and basic equipment for routine analysis (temperature, salinity, and basic water chemistry) is needed to the community-based monitoring/research facility currently being developed.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The small laboratory will add to the infrastructure needed for the community-based monitoring/ research facility being developed in Sanikiluaq. The proceedings from the Summit will provide an authoritative assessment of the currently understood ‘status and trends’ of the estuarine, coastal and offshore environments of Hudson/James Bay. This will lead, we hope, to additional scientific and public policy attention being given to the Hudson/James Bay ecosystem.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Commercial operator
Own support

Further details - A major portion of the costs associated with this project will be for airline travel to and from the proposed summit. Travel by boat and land vehicles (ATVs and Snowmobiles) associated with the collection of samples in the Belcher Islands will require some funding for operating costs and preparation and holding of the TEK workshop will require travel by commercial air carrier.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This project has not been endorsed at a national level. If we are successful in meeting pre-proposal requirements a concerted effort will be made to ensure that that the final proposal has broad support and is sufficiently detailed to warrant national endorsement. This pre-proposal has been reviewed and is being submitted by the Canadian Steering Committee (CSC). Ongoing discussions will integrate this pre-proposal into a larger network of related national and international initiatives. The CSC has initially sorted this pre-proposal into: THEME: Educ, Out & Comm SUB-THEME: Conf & Workshops

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes

This is a new project intended to focus national attention on importance of the Hudson James Bay ecosystem to aboriginal communities and associated scientific and public policy issues required to safeguard the system. It will build upon and seek input from other national and international science initiatives that are addressing the region or phenomena important to understanding the system.

How will the project be organised and managed?
An overall steering committee to plan and conduct the Summit will be established under the guidance of the Nunavut Hudson Bay Inter-Agency Working Group (NTK). The TEK aspects will be managed through the Municipality of Sanikiluaq with the assistance of GeoArctic International Services who has been developing the Municipality’s GIS capability for the management and communication of TEK. A citizen of Sanikiluaq is being trained to work with this information management system and to coordinate the collection of samples from the Belcher Islands. A senior scientist with Resource Futures International will coordinate the formation of the steering committee. Arrangements will be reviewed after formation of this committee with one option being to transfer the “coordination/secretariat” function to someone in a government agency.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The GIS software/system is one important means of managing both TEK and scientific information (including satellite images of ice cover and surface temperatures) and is an effective means of communicating map related information. Numerous other opportunities for involving the community of Sanikiluaq, including its school have been discussed.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The TEK information will be managed primarily through the GIS system and outputs from the Summit will be available in published form.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funds are available to establish the steering committee and for the initial development of the GIS system. If this pre-proposal receives support we will be in a position to seriously seek support from government agencies (especially federal and Nunavut agencies) as well as aboriginal agencies. It is also anticipated that some support from university initiatives such as ArcticNet and the scientific community will be forthcoming.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Based on preliminary consultations within the scientific and NGO community as well as with the Nunavut Hudson Bay Inter-Agency Working Group we believe that there is a strong possibility that the contemplated Summit could be accomplished in a meaningful and cost-effective fashion. If this pre-proposal stage were successful the detailed planning under the guidance of the Steering Committee would be flexible so that the actual size of the event could be tailored to fit the likely range of resources that would be available.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Mr Andrew Hamilton
Science Advisor to Nunavut Hudson Bay
Inter-Agency Working Group, Resource Futures International
2983 Otterson Drive, Ottawa Ontario
K1V 7B5
Canada

Tel: 613 523 3345
Mobile: no
Fax: 613 247 1162
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation