How children in northern Canada represent the wolverine through drawings

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Authors: Bonamy, Morgane, Harbicht, Andrew Blair, Herrmann, Thora Martina
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2020
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Canada; Northwest Territories; naskapi; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247420000327; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247420000327

Abstract This study explores the perception of wolverines, a carnivore in decline, by youths in northern Canada, the future generation of stakeholders. To accomplish this, we analysed 165 drawings from children and 22 interviews with Indigenous adults in the Northwest Territories and Quebec. Overall, children primarily drew wolverines in healthy environments, with only a minority depicting the wolverine’s environment negatively. All children demonstrated a basic understanding of the wolverine’s physical appearance and biology/ecology, with few differences in how the wolverine was depicted among the different research areas. Among interviewed adults, the ecological role played by wolverines was less prominent among the themes explored by Naskapi participants than was their role as a thief or pest, when contrasted to Dene participants. These results indicate that information about wolverine habitat or biology is still being acquired by children in areas where wolverines are extirpated, but that a lack of exposure to this species may negatively influence children’s understanding of its ecological role. These results suggest that informing the public about this carnivore’s ecological role may improve public support and, therefore, the likelihood of successful conservation programmes.