Case Study Analysis: The Role of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge in EIA

GEOB 309 - Term Paper: This capstone assignment required my colleague and I did a report on a specific topic in EIA. My colleague and I decided to take a critical approach in examining the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the EIA process, as it relates to the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Project, NWT, Canada.

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Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is defined as “a cumulative knowledge, practice, and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment.” TEK is an important means of bringing together proponents, government, and Indigenous communities to create a better understanding of the environment and improve impact assessment and management. It is now a policy requirement that TEK is incorporated into environmental assessment and resource management in the North, and management boards now recognize the invaluable knowledge held by community residents by explicitly putting it on the same footing as scientific knowledge for decision making. For the purposes of this paper, we will be examining the role of TEK in the EIA process as it relates to the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Project.

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