About the researcher

The principal investigator Ryan Planche is starting the first year of his PhD program at Wilfrid Laurier University (2021). His dual master’s degrees in environmental studies (York University) and economic development (University of Waterloo), position him as well advanced towards beginning this doctoral research. His current research will focus on investigating and supporting the creation of alternative Indigenous conservation economies. This work is being conducted with Indigenous partners in the NWT and Northern Ontario and Quebec. The research program at Protection Economies .org builds on an initial 6-week engagement with Sambaa K’e First Nation (NWT) in August-September of 2021. Here Ryan conducted interviews around Guardians programs and tourism development for research led by his doctoral supervisors and funded by the Smart Prosperity Institute (University of Ottawa). Supervisory supports include: Dr. Alex Latta has twenty years of research experience, including work with Indigenous communities in Latin America and Northern Canada, specifically for the past five years in the Northwest Territories. Joint advisory support is provided by Dr. Miguel Sioui, an Indigenous researcher at Wilfrid Laurier who has conducted extensive work on Traditional Knowledge with a range of Indigenous partners. Considering this robust support, the his research is well positioned to generate new knowledge around the increasing recognition of Indigenous roles in biodiversity conservation and parallel challenges of ensuring that Indigenous communities can chart pathways to sovereignty through self-determination.