Creating an Herbarium for Plant Conservation
This Seed Grant project will investigate the potential of establishing an herbarium of culturally important and native plant species for the Tsay Keh Dene Nation.
This herbarium would be an education and stewardship resource comprising ecologically and culturally significant plants. It would be valuable to the Tsay Keh Dene Nation and conservation researchers.
Executive Summary
Plants, lichens and fungi, have been an integral part of the ecology and culture of Tsay Keh Dene Nation (TKDN) since time immemorial. Disturbances resulting from climate change, anthropogenic activities, and natural causes pose risks to flora, including medicinal and cultural plants. Flora in northern climates, such as in high mountain alpine habitats, are particularly vulnerable to extinction (Dullinger et al., 2012). As Tsay Keh Dene (TKD) elders and botanical knowledge holders age, there is an urgency to gather and formally document important cultural botanical information before habitats, flora, and TKD knowledge, is lost. The project goal, to investigate and determine the feasibility of creating a community herbarium for botanical conservation in Tsay Keh Dene, BC, aligns with the following FWCP Action Plans:
- Research and Information Acquisition: PEA.RWE.SO5.RI.13 – Research culturally important species.
- Research and Information Acquisition: PEA.CRE.SO5.RI.12 – Conduct stewardship and education related to aquatic and terrestrial conservation.
We investigated the potential of establishing a herbarium in the community of Tsay Keh Dene, BC, through i) a literature review, ii) interviews with a select number of TKD citizens and elders, and Tsay Keh Dene Lands Resources and Treaty Operations (TKD LRTO), and iii) consultation with two herbaria curators.
Results from interviews indicate that creating a herbarium is important to TKD citizens. In particular, elders who would like to facilitate Indigenous Knowledge retention and education for culturally important species, as well as for land stewardship purposes within the territory. Over 16 culturally important plant, fungi, and lichen species were identified from interviews, as well as several habitat types and ecosystems where collecting botanical data was of interest to TKD citizens. This includes alpine and wetland habitats, and moose and caribou forage species. Several important cultural species have lost Indigenous Knowledge already, and these species require field validation and collection with elders to ensure the remaining Indigenous Knowledge is retained for future generations.
A herbarium based in Tsay Keh Dene, BC, will create new connections to the land, facilitate inter-generational knowledge transfer, provide educational opportunities for structured and informal learning, and formally document biological and cultural records. Within the herbarium there are physical specimens that are important for data retention, and employment and training opportunities for TKD citizens to gain skills in specimen processing and data management. The herbarium will be an important stewardship and ethnobotanical resource for TKD citizens and others interested in northern flora conservation now and in the future, including elders, researchers, TKD LRTO, and others doing land-based work in the territory.
Click the provincial database link below to read the full final report for this project.