Lesson Template S10-Global Climate Change: Student Handout: Mackenzie Basin Case Study

• Main Author: Karsgaard, Carrie; Mackay, Mackenzie; Catholique, Alexandria
• Other Authors: Parlee, Brenda
• Format: Course Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: envir; geo; Canada; Mackenzie River; First Nations; Gwich’in; Inuvialuit; inuvialuktun; Mackenzie Basin; Mackenzie river
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-p4tr-dt34; https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/f128dbe9-d535-41f0-aae1-8e9ff0635992

The Mackenzie River is the longest river system in Canada and the second largest drainage basin in North America (after the Mississippi). With an area of 1,805,200 km2, the river basin is about one-fifth of the entire area of Canada! The river is known by many names to local communities (e.g., Dehcho in Slavey, Nagwichoonjik in Gwich’in, and Kuukpak in Inuvialuktun), and it has been key to the survival of Indigenous Peoples in the North for thousands of years. The river basin stretches across large parts of western Canada and is home to more than 400,000 people (as of 2001), 10% of whom are First Nations, Métis, and Inuvialuit (MRBB 2003; GNWT 2010). The Mackenzie River is vulnerable to multiple stressors such as climate change, commercial fish harvesting, and resource development activities. Primary development in the area is associated with oil extraction and deforestation. Pipelines and associated spills, forestry, and mining activities have changed the quality and flow of water in the region. The socio-ecological impacts from these activities also affect fishing livelihoods, which is a significant component of traditional food systems for many of the people relying on the river.