You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and attendance information is included below:

Date:  April 11, 2025
Time:  9:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Defence mode: Remote
Virtual Attendance: via Zoom

LINK TO JOIN:  Please contact the Office of Gradute Administration for information regarding remote attendance for online defences.

To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: please ensure you are on time.

Thesis:  TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN NORTHWESTERN BC PARKS: EXPLORING PATHS TO RECONCILIATION AND SELF-DETERMINATION IN PARK PLANNING AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Abstract:  This research explores how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can be meaningfully integrated into BC Parks’ planning and operations management to enhance socially and environmentally responsible management plans. The objectives of this study were to identify historical and current socio-political barriers to the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledges in park planning and operations management and to develop recommendations for park planners and managers to integrate TEK that prioritize reconciliation and self-determination. There is a paucity of research examining the integration of TEK and the roles of reconciliation and self-determination in park planning and management at the provincial level in Canada. 

Qualitative semi-structured interviews with Gitxsan First Nation Chiefs and Elders and BC Parks North Coast Skeena regional staff were analyzed to develop practical recommendations for the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and their Knowledge in BC Parks planning and operations management. These recommendations address relations of power and policies, and they prioritize reconciliation and self-determination as a strategy for social change. I argue that the inclusion of TEK is necessary to improve park planning and management and to address the larger social and environmental issues in society. 

The findings of this study contribute empirical evidence to ongoing academic discussions regarding Indigenous inclusion, TEK, reconciliation, and self-determination in park planning and management. This work responds to the federal government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and it is my hope that this project contributes to advancing reconciliation and self-determination in park planning and management. 

Defence Committee: 
Chair: Dr. Robert Budde, University of Northern British Columbia
Supervisor: Dr. Jennifer Wigglesworth, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Pamela Wright, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Daniel Sims, University of Northern British Columbia
External Examiner: Dr. Andrew Kadykalo, Government of Nunavut