Gray Wolves and Indigenous Peoples

Summary

Industrial development is rapidly altering ecosystems, with consequences for species that are culturally and ecologically important. Indigenous researchers with Swan River First Nation (SRFN) co-produced this research with Western scientists to examine how landscape change influences mammals within their traditional territory in the boreal foothills of Alberta (Canada). Community-identified concerns about declining mammal populations guided the study’s objectives, spatial focus and hypotheses and informed interpretation of the results. Using remote camera traps, we modelled species-specific responses to natural and anthropogenic landscape features. We applied generalized linear models to evaluate competing hypotheses for species occurrence–disturbance relationships. While some species–disturbance relationships matched community observations and patterns from neighbouring regions, others differed. Notably, and consistent with SRFN observations, moose (Alces alces) occurrence declined with increasing road and seismic line density, probably overriding positive effects of patch features. Integrating Indigenous knowledge with the study design and interpretation clarified potential mechanisms underlying declines and strengthened inference for management. These findings demonstrate the value of braiding Indigenous knowledge with ecological data to support conservation and management in rapidly changing landscapes.

ABSTRACT

The hostility to wolves by segments of agribusiness and the general public in the United States is a puzzle, given that wolf predation is not responsible for a large number of cattle and sheep losses and has only a very modest economic effect on the livestock industry. Thus, the logic of profit-seeking in capitalism, although playing a role, is insufficient to explain the outsized and partisan opposition to wolf recovery. We argue that the logics of settler colonialism are a foundational force that shapes the politics and management of wolves in the United States. We explain how settler colonialism seeks to eliminate both Indigenous people and wolves to appropriate and reshape landscapes for settler use. Contemporary wolf policy and management at the state and federal levels continue to reflect settler colonial logics. Our general aim is to show how theories of settler colonialism complement other prominent sociological theories and enhance our understanding of the forces leading to ecological crises. We conclude by highlighting examples of more just approaches to wolf management that include Indigenous kinship and relational values.