Kitsumkalum Cumulative Effects Study

At the direction of Kitsumkalum and with funding from the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE), Kwusen researchers led the development of a Kitsumkalum-specific cumulative effects methodology that included community engagement and spatial data analysis to illustrate the cumulative impacts of regulations, resource extraction, non-Indigenous land use, and land privatization on Kitsumkalum’s territory.

Kwusen and Kitsumkalum adapted the cumulative effects assessment methodology used in the The Atlas of Cumulative Landscape Disturbance in the Traditional Territory of Blueberry River First Nation from 2016. Research tasks included interviews and mapping with community members to integrate the lived experiences of Kitsumkalum land and water users into the Study. The multi-media digital material recorded during the interviews were uploaded to Kitsumkalum’s Community KnowledgeKeeper (CKK).

Kwusen produced a results memorandum including detailed maps that are demonstrative of the scale and extent of cumulative effects in Kitsumkalum’s territory, providing a visual representation of the many industrial disturbances and access barriers that affect Kitsumkalum’s ability to harvest and exercise their Rights. In keeping with the research methodology that supported the Yahey decision, Kwusen also conducted quantitative analysis to determine how much of Kitsumkalum’s territory has been disturbed. This quantitative assessment can be applied to specific areas in the Territory to determine, for example, the percentage of disturbance in a particular biogeoclimatic zone or watershed.

All research from this Study continues to be utilized by Kitsumkalum through their CKK database.