The proposed knowledge hub encompasses the summer range of the Porcupine Caribou herd (PCH) in northern Yukon and the Richardson Mountains of the Northwest Territories. Hundreds of thousands of caribou shape the landscape and feed populations of grizzly bears, wolves, red fox, and wolverine. At the northern edges of this region are polar bears, arctic fox, seals, and whales, while muskrat, beaver, and marten spill in from the south. Considered together with migratory species of birds (e.g. geese, ducks, raptors, etc.), fish (e.g. dolly varden), and other resident species (e.g. pika, ptarmigan, insects), an abundance of biodiversity supports a wealth of cultural diversity, including the Inuvialuit and Gwich’in communities of Aklavik, Old Crow, and Fort McPherson. These communities have stewarded these lands through considerable social, political, and environmental changes by leading the creation of structured co-management agreements. People from these communities are socially, culturally, and nutritionally dependent upon these ecosystems and its biodiversity through their travel, hunting, fishing, gathering, and other cultural activities.
