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Topic

Co-Navigating Value: An Exploration of Indigenous Environmental Valuation Through Participatory Mapping of Cedar Trees

Department of Geography

Date & location

• Wednesday, December 4, 2024

• 10:00 A.M.

• David Turpin Building

• Room B215

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Crystal Tremblay, Department of Geography, University of Victoria (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. David Castle, School of Public Administration, UVic (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Pamela Spalding, Department of Geography, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Astrid Pérez Piñán, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Daromir Rudnyckyj, Department of Anthropology, UVic

   

Abstract

Indigenous cultures around the world retain complex ways of viewing, valuing, and interacting with the land rooted in traditional cultures and belief systems. However, assessment of the value of natural landscapes frequently overlooks the ways in which environmental value is perceived through Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Chapter 2 of this thesis describes a participatory mapping case study conducted in partnership with T’Sou-ke First Nation on Vancouver Island, British Columbia exploring the value associated with the natural environment of T’Sou-ke traditional territory through the lens of cedar trees. Two participatory mapping workshops and one semi-structured interview were conducted, the findings of which were analysed through qualitative coding. Through this process eight forms of Indigenous environmental value were identified. The significance of these findings is explored, particularly insofar as they highlight the diversity of available environmental benefits and support the growing argument that assessment systems which neglect Indigenous ways of knowing will have failed to consider the full scope of environmental value. Chapter 3 discusses the benefits and challenges of participatory mapping as a research method in Indigenous contexts based on observations made during the case study discussed in Chapter 2. Emphasis is placed on the challenges of this research approach for graduate students and other early-career researchers. Suggestions for both experienced researchers and students for managing these challenges are discussed, and brief set of guidelines for graduate students to assess whether participatory mapping is an appropriate method for their research are put forward. Chapter 4 concludes with a discussion on the merit and potential future applications of the findings in the context of environmental value research and development of natural capital accounting models.