Copyright legally protects creators, granting exclusive rights for activities such as printing, publishing, performing, filming, and recording, or authorizing others to do so. This protection prohibits unauthorized use, subjecting infringers to legal consequences. In part 1 of the Canadian Mountain Podcast’s two-part series on Indigenous intellectual property, guests Kyle Napier and Saad Iqbal, both researchers and doctoral students at the University of Alberta, discuss their research on how Canadian intellectual property laws can better serve traditional Knowledge Holders. They are conducting an in-depth examination of Canada’s IP laws and their impact on information control and the beneficiaries, particularly within the context of Indigenous knowledge. Part 1 explores IP, traditional knowledge, and the inherent conflicts arising from differing views on information and ownership.

The Chic-Choc Mountain range in the Gaspésie Peninsula of south-eastern Quebec is the focus of this episode of the Canadian Mountain Podcast. Catherine Lambert, the Executive Director of the Mi’gmaq Indigenous Fisheries Management Association and Louise Chaverie, an Associate Professor with the Norwegian University of Life and Sciences, provided their perspective on the Knowledge Hub “Developing Knowledge on the Status of Aquatic Ecosystems in the Chic-Choc Mountains”. Overall, the goal of the Hub is to create and enable collaborative research and conservation measures between the Mi’gmaq, university researchers, and management organizations so that the best possible decisions can be made to protect the lakes and rivers in the region. These aquatic environments support fisheries, forestry, tourism, and arts and crafts, which combined, generate several million dollars in revenue each year.

Catherine and Louise explain the work that is happening as part of the Hub and how it expands the traditional conservation efforts that have historically gone towards marine and forestry resources, as well as discuss how and why they are doing fieldwork during Canada’s winters for climate monitoring. This episode also details how the Hub supports the cultural exchange of knowledge to better steward and protect these areas.

In episode three of season five of the Canadian Mountain Podcast, join host Julie Patton and producer Noel Ormita for a conversation with Chief Roland Wilson and researcher Clayton Lamb about the Indigenous-led conservation of the Klinse-Za Caribou. Roland Wilson is Chief of the West Moberly First Nations and Clayton Lamb is a wildlife scientist with Biodiversity Pathways — an organization that uses data to inform decision-makers at all levels of government in Canada. Both are passionate about increasing the caribou population. In the face of near-extinction for the Klinse-Za Caribou herd in 2013 and the subsequent lack of response from the federal and provincial governments, the West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations took decisive action. Recognizing the adverse consequences of the declining caribou population on both the environment and their way of life as outlined in Treaty 8, which guarantees their right to harvest caribou, these First Nations proactively addressed the situation. But with only 38 caribou remaining in this herd in 2013, the local Nations could not hunt without further endangering the population.

These restrictions are a direct infringement of Indigenous Treaty rights. Through the conservation efforts of the West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations, the Klinse-Za caribou population increased to 101 individuals by 2021. Through predator reduction and maternal pens, these efforts will continue until the Klinse-Za population can grow consistently without external interference, and the local Indigenous Peoples can once again sustainably harvest caribou.