| People |
| Nathan Badry, Ph.D. BSc in Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Victoria (2017); Ph.D. Renewable Resources, McGill University (2024). Email: nathan.badry@mail.mcgill.ca Interests: Interests: Social-Ecological Systems, Natural Resource Governance, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Posthumanism, Qualitative Methods
|
|
Ph.D. Thesis:
REASSEMBLING TRANSBOUNDARY NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE: CASE STUDIES OF POSTHUMAN WILD FOOD SYSTEMS IN EEYOU ISTCHEE
Abstract
The governance of natural resources is often characterised by ecological, social, and jurisdictional complexity. One dimension of this complexity is epistemological and ontological pluralism, wherein governance structures and processes must contend with multiple knowledge systems and worldviews. In Canada, for example, pluralistic natural resource governance often includes Indigenous Peoples, in addition to government, non-governmental, and industry actors. Even in cases where these diverse governance actors share broadly agreed- upon conservation and sustainable development goals, pluralism can have significant implications for collective action, as well as epistemic justice and reconciliation. While different knowledge systems and worldviews can enhance understanding, inclusion, and innovation, they can also create frictions and controversies. Indigenous knowledge systems are frequently incommensurable with the dominant scientific and bureaucratic knowledge systems of natural resource governance. This is particularly evident in cases involving the social roles of nonhuman actors, which often play active parts in Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies. In this dissertation, I first synthesise the literature on actor-network theory (ANT), and analyse how this approach to understanding human/nonhuman networks could also inform understandings of knowledge weaving and pluralistic natural resource governance.
To demonstrate empirically how knowledge weaving can challenge network governance approaches, I conduct a case study of moose and forestry governance in Eeyou Istchee, the James Bay Cree Territory of northern Quebec, Canada. Cree livelihoods are closely linked to wild food species like moose. However, these species are being heavily impacted by forestry and other resource development. Fuzzy cognitive mapping was conducted with Cree land-users to explore the different social-ecological impacts to moose habitat. The case study shows that, while some differing Cree and scientific understandings of boundary spanning factors are relatively easy to reconcile, some factors, especially those related to specific local culture and belief, are not. A second case study of lake sturgeon governance in the Cree community of Nemaska demonstrates how an ANT-inspired approach to network governance could help span boundaries between pluralistic governance actors. Like moose, lake sturgeon is an important wild food species being impacted by resource development. Using interviews and participant observation, I describe lake sturgeon actor- x networks in Nemaska, identifying the relational networks of humans and nonhumans that influence governance. Through the tracing of these networks, boundary-spanning roles that may be hidden from other approaches are highlighted. Natural resource governance regularly depends on complex relationships and consensus between local land-users, scientists, and policy makers. In such pluralistic settings, shared understandings can be challenging to develop, and I conclude that ANT and a wider turn towards posthumanism would help decentralise the human in network governance methods, thereby creating novel insights for overcoming conflicts and improving collective action.
Awards and Scholarships:
2020-2023 SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral
2018-2020 Polar Knowledge Canada Northern Scientific Training Program
2018-2020 NSERC-CREATE Environmental Innovations Training and Research Program
2019 Mitacs Accelerate Program
2018-2019 SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship-Masters
2018 McGill Graduate Excellence Award
Publications:
MacMillan, G.A., Badry, N.A., Sarmiento, I., Grant, E., Hickey, G.M. and Humphries, M.M. (2024). Cree knowledge, fuzzy cognitive maps, and the social-ecology of moose habitat quality under an adapted forestry regime. Ecology & Society 29(4):34. [online].
Badry, N.A., MacMillan, G.A., Stern, E.R., Landry-Cuerrier, M., Hickey, G.M. and Humphries, M.M. (2024). Boundary Spanning Methodological Approaches for Collaborative Moose Governance in Eeyou Istchee. Environmental Management 74(1): 132-147.
Badry, N. and Hickey, G.M. (2022). Enhancing collaboration across the knowledge system boundaries of ecosystem governance. Advances in Ecological Research 66: 63-88.
| <<Back |