Name
Supporting Indigenous Engagement: The 2020 Maqmikew anqwano’sik Mi’kma’ki aqq Epekwitk / Nova Scotia and PEI Land Cover Map
Description
Land cover information helps advance understanding of our environment with respect to a changing climate and to impacts from natural resource development activities. In 2010, the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) Division of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) generated a 30 m National Land Cover map using satellite observations. Earth Observations derived Canadian Land Cover maps are now available for 2015 and 2020 from the Atlas of Canada (https://atlas.gc.ca/). Study areas for the Site Monitoring and Remediation project (part of the Earth Observations for Cumulative Effects Phase 2 program at CCRS) include detection and mapping the legacy of abandoned mine sites in Nova Scotia. Tailings sites from these mines, often rich in arsenic and mercury, have left a significant environmental legacy. With renewed interest in mining redevelopment, encroaching rural and suburban developments, and recognition of spreading environmental impacts, Nova Scotia has initiated the expensive process of remediation. Indigenous engagement has been pursued to ensure traditional knowledge and cultural awareness are integrated into the remediation initiatives. Engaging western science and Indigenous Knowledge (IK or Etuaptmumk) enables an impactful and balanced investigation of remediation monitoring. To support a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to monitoring remediation, a land cover map of Nova Scotia and P.E.I. was translated into Mi’kmaw. This map is designed to support discussion of how land cover derived from remote sensing informs via collaborator context. The 2020 map of Maqmikew anqwano’sik Mi’kma’ki aqq Epekwitk / Nova Scotia and PEI Land Cover is presented here.
Location Name
Canal (CB) 2104
Session Type
Poster
Abstract ID
CCA131
Speaker Name
H.Peter White (1,2)
Speaker Organization
1. Adjunct Faculty, Dept. Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University; 2. Canada Centre for Remote Sensing Division, Natural Resources Canada