Paper short abstract:

Beaver population expansion into the Arctic Circle represents a major concern for fisheries co-management in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) in northwest Canada. As a highly visible sign of change, beavers are emblematic of the hidden conflicts underlying co-management in the ISR.

Paper long abstract:

Beaver population expansion into the Arctic Circle represents a major concern for fisheries co-management in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) in northwest Canada, especially around the Imaryuk lake system (‘Husky Lakes’). This is the focus for the multidisciplinary BARIN project (Beavers and Socio-Ecological Resilience in Inuit Nunangat), working with the ISR Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC) and following Inuvialuit research priorities. In interviews and participatory mapping, Inuvialuit knowledge holders have described a rapid increase in beaver numbers followed by the apparent disruption of established cycles of salmon migration, as well as beaver dam construction blocking the movement of small fish through creeks. Dams also lower the water level in key fishing creeks and block heritage trails used for harvesting in summer, limiting access to fishing areas. Many Inuvialuit research participants connect the increase in beavers to action by the Canadian government in the 1950s, when the Canadian Wildlife Service carried out a beaver transplantation to the Mackenzie Delta following consultation with non-Inuvialuit fur trappers. Consequently, beavers have come to embody many of the issues faced by Inuvialuit governance of land and water: the continued influence of government decisions, the exposure of Inuvialuit lands to bordering areas, and the effects of a rapidly changing climate on a familiar environment. As a highly visible sign of change, beavers are emblematic of the challenges and hidden conflicts underlying co-management in the ISR.