The overarching goal of the project was to develop overlapping conceptual models of environmental and community health indicators in reference to climate forecasts. The sensitivity of species and habitats to climate were cross-walked with recently developed Coast Salish community health indicators (e.g. ceremonial use, knowledge exchange, and physiological well-being) in order to demonstrate how Indigenous Knowledge can be used in conjunction with established landscape-level conservation indicators (e.g. shellfish and water-quality) and employed to identify resource management priorities. While results are unique to study participants, no Indigenous community in the coastal Pacific Northwest is immune to the impending threats of climate change and land-use policies; the methods developed through this proposal can be applicable for other First Nations and Tribes across the region.
