Anthropogenic pressures are causing a global decline in biodiversity that, in turn, impacts the human communities depending on it. In the conservation effort, efficient management requires up-to-date and accurate information about the population dynamics, habitat requirements, and distribution of organisms. There is an increasing appreciation of the benefits of coproduction and the combination of multiple knowledge systems to increase our understanding of the rapidly changing ecosystems. In this thesis, I used data from a long-term collaborative monitoring program involving Inuit and federal government researchers to study the factors affecting changes in population size and nesting distribution of a harvested sea duck in south-eastern Hudson Bay, the common eider (Somateria mollissima). I also highlight practical challenges and propose solutions related to cultural and institutional barriers that impede the delivery of respectful approaches and best practices in collaborative research programs involving large and regulated institutions and remote Indigenous communities. Many thanks to Holly Hennin who provided essential logistical support for the realization of the fieldwork and who consistently helped me navigate Environment Canada and Carleton University's various administrative procedures. Thank you to all my student colleagues who, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, strived to create a pleasant social dynamic within our lab. Particularly, thanks to Adam Perkovic and Allison Drake for numerous fun and enriching conversation about Arctic research. Thankfully to generous funding from Grant Gilchrist's research funds, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Carleton University, and the Weston Familly Foundation, I was able to complete this thesis without financial stress. Finally, I'm especially grateful to Grant Gilchrist. For now more than eight years, I have been privileged to collaborate on various research projects in the Arctic within the program he is co-leading. Through this work, I have learned a ton, traveled to wonderful remote places, and particularly met amazing people. It was a privilege to work alongside such a great person and researcher.v
Thesis Format and ContributionsThis thesis consists of a general introduction and discussion, and two co-authored manuscripts (Chapters 2 and 3). Chapter 2 is in preparation for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, and chapter 3 has been submitted to the peer-reviewed journal Ecological Solution and Evidence. The repetition of specific definitions and details is at times necessary so that chapters can stand alone.
Chapter 2. Factors affecting changes in the number and distribution of nesting HudsonBay eiders in the Belcher Islands.