Cree knowledge, fuzzy cognitive maps, and the social-ecology of moose habitat quality under an adapted forestry regime

Participatory modeling and fuzzy cognitive mapping of social-ecological systems offers a more comprehensive understanding of complex systems inclusive of multiple perspectives and diverse types of knowledge. Many Indigenous communities attribute recent declines in boreal moose populations to forestry disturbance and are insisting that their observations, knowledge, and values contribute more meaningfully to forestry and moose co-management. Here we describe a knowledge co-production approach documenting Cree social-ecological understanding of moose habitat quality in the Eeyou Istchee territory of northern Québec, Canada, almost 20 years after the implementation of a forestry co-management regime. Thirty-seven fuzzy cognitive mapping sessions with 56 land-users from 4 Cree communities identified 18 categories that influence good moose habitat, including physical (“Climate & Weather”), ecological (“Habitat Features, Moose Forage”), and social contributors (“Hunting & Predation, Cree Culture”). Knowledge maps highlight the diverse interrelationships that land users know to influence moose habitat quality and point to key social variables (hunting activity, noise disturbance) that should be included in wildlife-habitat models, as well as specific aspects of forestry practice and management that Cree know to negatively impact moose populations despite the implementation of a co-management regime. Our findings highlight how fuzzy cognitive mapping can bring together individual expertise into a collective knowledge account, inclusive of multiple understandings and experiences that allows for the identification and ranking of variables and relationships. Fuzzy cognitive mapping summarizes the plurality of Cree social-ecological knowledge in a form that is accessible, applicable, and actionable within local, regional, and provincial co-management regimes.