Broader Implications for Indigenous Food Sovereignty
Identifying how industrial land-use impacts subsistence species is only
one component of the much larger issues facing Indigenous communities
and Indigenous Food Sovereignty efforts
(Batal et al., 2021). The rising costs of
hunting and food contamination concern Indigenous communities reliant on
country food (Chan et al., 2021;
Shafiee et al., 2022). These issues are
only exacerbated by species declines and changes in how species occupy
and use landscapes as human pressures and fires increase. Concerns over
access to high protein sources, specifically moose for WLFN, are
evident. Community members note the challenges associated with finding
moose, a lack of wildlife tracks, and evidence of browsing in harvested
areas despite the possibility that regenerating stands result in
increased forage (see Koetke et al.
(2023). Without access to subsistence species like moose, Indigenous
Food Sovereignty is increasingly out of reach for Indigenous Peoples in
these systems. Thus, it is critical for Indigenous Peoples to gain
additional knowledge of how these human features are impacting species
habitat use, which WLFN has done using surveys and remote cameras, and
to be able to harvest moose when found. Supporting these efforts through
the co-production of research based on data collection and questions led
by WLFN is one critical component of supporting Indigenous Food
Sovereignty.