Advertisement.
The NWT government said on Wednesday it will fund six new projects under its Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program.
The program, funded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, works with partners across the territory to monitor human and environmental impacts on caribou, fish and water.
Data collected helps communities and governments make resource management decisions.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Funding recipients include Indigenous governments and organizations, universities, and territorial and federal government departments.
This year, new projects include a study of how Giant Mine cleanup efforts may be affected by climate change, development of a new approach to monitoring Akaitcho water quality, and a study of how permafrost thaw is affecting streamflow.
Environment minister Shane Thompson said the funding program “continues to support work that brings together Indigenous, local, and scientific knowledge, and informs sound decision-making.”
Environmental monitoring is required by law in the NWT and is a key component of the Sahtu, Gwich’in and Tłı̨chǫ comprehensive land claim agreements, as well as the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.
This year, ENR is providing $1.7 million to support 29 monitoring and research projects. Of that money, $500,000 is being used to fund the six new projects and two that are entering a new funding cycle.
Of the remaining 21, eight are ongoing and 13 are in their final year.
