Biodiversity Monitoring
Over the last two years, the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation has been collaborating with researchers from the Government of the Northwest Territories, Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of British Columbia on a project to monitor biodiversity in the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area. This project uses remote cameras and audio recorders to capture the movements and sounds of wildlife.
In August and September 2021, Ni Hat’ni Dene and researchers spent 31 days installing 307 sets of cameras and audio recorders at sites across Thaidene Nëné. In summer 2022, the guardians and researchers retrieved all but 42 of the cameras and recorders. The cameras and recorders that are still on the land are continuing to gather information.
What is the purpose of this project?
This project provides us with information about the current state of the land and the animals, or “baseline information.” This information is important for helping us to understand changes over time in the kinds of animals that call Thaidene Nëné home, as well as changes in animal behaviour. Used together with Łutsël K’é Dene knowledge about the land and the animals, this information will help us to make decisions about caring for Thaidene Nëné.
This project provides us with information about the current state of the land and the animals, or “baseline information.” This information is important for helping us to understand changes over time in the kinds of animals that call Thaidene Nëné home, as well as changes in animal behaviour. Used together with Łutsël K’é Dene knowledge about the land and the animals, this information will help us to make decisions about caring for Thaidene Nëné.
What can be learned from the cameras and audio recorders?
The cameras and audio recorders can provide us with information about where animals are, when they are active, and what habitats they are using. We can learn about animal behaviour, including interactions between different kinds of animals; the health of animals; and their numbers, including the proportions of females, males, and young. Cameras and audio recorders can be used to monitor invasive species and the impacts of climate change and other disturbances like fire on the land and the animals. The cameras can also provide us with environmental information, like snow cover and green up, while the audio recorders can provide information about human activities in Thaidene Nëné, such as boat and air traffic, and harvesting through shotgun blasts.
The cameras and audio recorders can provide us with information about where animals are, when they are active, and what habitats they are using. We can learn about animal behaviour, including interactions between different kinds of animals; the health of animals; and their numbers, including the proportions of females, males, and young. Cameras and audio recorders can be used to monitor invasive species and the impacts of climate change and other disturbances like fire on the land and the animals. The cameras can also provide us with environmental information, like snow cover and green up, while the audio recorders can provide information about human activities in Thaidene Nëné, such as boat and air traffic, and harvesting through shotgun blasts.
How were the sites in Thaidene Nëné chosen?
Map of camera and audio recorder stations, 2021-22.
Cameras and audio recorders were set up across the protected area in different types of habitat, including on the tundra and in the woods, and in bogs and burns.
When Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı, the operation management board for Thaidene Nëné, reviewed the project proposal, the board members noticed there was a gap in the distribution of the cameras on the north-east side of Artillery Lake. As this is an important area for caribou, two sites were added there.
When Thaidene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı, the operation management board for Thaidene Nëné, reviewed the project proposal, the board members noticed there was a gap in the distribution of the cameras on the north-east side of Artillery Lake. As this is an important area for caribou, two sites were added there.
How do the cameras and audio recorders work?
Each of the original sites (2021-22) had both cameras and audio recording units. The cameras and recorders were mounted on trees or vertical posts.
Each of the original sites (2021-22) had both cameras and audio recording units. The cameras and recorders were mounted on trees or vertical posts.
The cameras are activated by heat and motion. In other words, they take pictures when an animal moves in front of the camera. The cameras work best with animals that weigh more than 200 grams, though occasionally smaller animals, like birds, are photographed by chance.
An photograph from ENR-064.
Most of the cameras that were set-up during the first year of the project took pictures from August/September 2021 to August 2022. There were some exceptions. The cameras could not take pictures when they were covered with snow and a few experienced “technical difficulties,” such as damage or malfunction. For example, one camera—ENR-064—was put out of commission by a grizzly bear in May 2022.
The audio recorders do not capture sound continuously. They are programmed to record sounds from April 1 to October 31 and only at certain times of day. For most of the recording season, they record for 10 minutes per hour starting one hour before sunset and ending five hours after sunrise. They also record ten minutes of sound at 12:00pm and 3:00pm.
Who is involved with this project?
Thaidene Nëné is one of a number of protected areas involved in the NWT Biodiversity Monitoring Program. There have also been cameras and audio recorders located in Ts'udé Nilįné Tuyeta, a protected area west of Fort Good Hope; the Edéhzhíe Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area; and Dınàgà Wek'èhodì, a candidate protected area in the northern portion of Great Slave Lake's north arm. Cameras have also been deployed near Sambaa K'e, Norman Wells, and Fort Smith.
In Thaidene Nëné, the biodiversity monitoring project is a collaborative effort between the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation and researchers from the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of British Columbia.
You can learn more about the NWT Biodiversity Monitoring Program here.
Thaidene Nëné is one of a number of protected areas involved in the NWT Biodiversity Monitoring Program. There have also been cameras and audio recorders located in Ts'udé Nilįné Tuyeta, a protected area west of Fort Good Hope; the Edéhzhíe Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area; and Dınàgà Wek'èhodì, a candidate protected area in the northern portion of Great Slave Lake's north arm. Cameras have also been deployed near Sambaa K'e, Norman Wells, and Fort Smith.
In Thaidene Nëné, the biodiversity monitoring project is a collaborative effort between the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation and researchers from the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of British Columbia.
You can learn more about the NWT Biodiversity Monitoring Program here.
Project Updates
