ID: 1553
Presenting Author: Jacinthe Amyot
Session: 714 - Assessing Information: Conflicting Data Interpretation and Eroding Public Trust
Status: pending
Gitxaała’s Risk and Impact Assessment, grounded in their law and abundance-based metrics, strengthens evidence integrity and trust, countering bias and disinformation in marine governance.
Public trust in marine conservation is eroding as conflicting data and disinformation shape how Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are understood. In British Columbia, some political and industry voices claim that marine protection threatens jobs and local economies. These actors and their messaging ignores established methodologies and research on the benefits of MPAs. Gitxaała Nation’s Risk and Impact Assessment (RIA) framework offers a credible alternative grounded in Gitxaała law. Rather than asking whether an effect is “significant,” the Gitxaała RIA asks whether an activity contributes to abundance and the enhancement of ecosystem function. Focusing on the daily experience of life in the territory, indicators such as herring spawning events, whales pursuing baitfish, seabird abundance and diversity, and other socio-ecological metrics are used alongside Traditional Knowledge to assess whether these abundance thresholds are being met over time. By codifying abundance as the thresholds for decision, Gitxaała’s methodology shifts assessment practice from mitigating effects toward actively restoring ecosystem vitality. This shift in focus of impact assessment directly counters claims that ecosystem protections harm local economies. This work shows how abundance supports stronger regional fisheries, resilient blue economies, and sustainable employment and how integrating Indigenous law and science strengthens transparency, exposes data bias, and rebuilds public trust.
Jacinthe Amyot, Special Advisor to Gitxaała Nation, advances collaborative governance and management, informed by experience with Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and IOC-UNESCO.
Coauthor 1: Courtney Halvorson