How do Indigenous communities in Canada balance the development needs of a growing population with cultural commitments and responsibilities as stewards of their lands and waters? Caring for Eeyou Istchee recounts the extraordinary experience of the James Bay Cree community of Wemindji, Quebec, who partnered with a multi-disciplinary research team to protect territory of great cultural significance in ways that respect community values and circumstances. This volume tackles fundamental questions: What is “environmental protection”? What should be protected? What factors inform community goals? How does the natural and cultural history of an area inform protected area design? How can the authority and autonomy of Indigenous institutions of land and sea stewardship – and the knowledge integral to them – be respected and reinforced? In answering these questions, Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributors present a comprehensive account of one of the world’s most dynamic coastal environments. More particularly, they demonstrate how protected area creation is a powerful process for supporting Indigenous environmental stewardship, and cultural heritage.

This critical book focuses on the geomorphological landscapes of eastern Canada and provides a companion volume to “Landscapes and Landforms of Western Canada” (2017). There are a number of unique characteristics of eastern Canada’s landscapes, notably its magnificent coastlines, the extraordinary variety and extent of wetlands, the huge Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, the high incidence of meteorite craters, the spectacular Niagara Falls, urban karst in Montreal and Ottawa, youthful, glaciated karst in Ontario, Newfoundland, Quebec and Nova Scotia, the ubiquitous permafrost terrain of Nunavut, Labrador and northern Quebec and the magnificent arctic fjords and glaciers. Looking at coastlines, the tidal extremes of the Bay of Fundy are world renowned; the structural complexity of the island of Newfoundland is less well known, but produces an astounding variety of coastlines in close succession; the arctic fjordlands of Baffin and Ellesmere islands and the extravagant raised beaches of Hudson Bay bear comparison with the classic fjords of Norway and the Baltic Sea raised beaches. As for wetlands, there are distinctive Arctic, Subarctic, Boreal, Eastern Temperate and Atlantic wetlands, and their extent is second only to those of Russia. In the Hudson and James Bay regions, between 75-100% of the terrestrial surface is comprised of wetlands. One of North America’s largest river basins, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, has its source in Minnesota, straddles the USA-Canada border and debouches into Quebec as the St. Lawrence River and evolves through its estuary into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a journey of almost 5,000 km. As far as meteorite craters are concerned, 10% of the world’s total are located in eastern Canada, including some of the largest and most complex landforms. They are preserved preferentially in the ancient Shield terrain of Quebec. Finally, the three million km2 of permafrost controlled relief in eastern Canada serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of eastern Canada’s landscapes to climate change. Effects of warming are expressed through thawing of the permafrost, disruption of transportation corridors and urban construction problems, ever-present geomorphic hazards.

Accounting for almost two thirds of the country's land-mass, Northern Canada is a vast region, host to rich natural resources and a diverse cultural heritage shared across Indigenous and non-indigenous residents. In this book, Rebecca Schiff and Helle M ller analyse health and healthcare in Northern Canada from a perspective that acknowledges the unique strengths, resilience, and innovation of northerners, while also addressing the challenges aggravated by contemporary manifestations of colonialism. Old and new forms of colonial programs and policies continue to create health and healthcare disparities in the North, which has had a profound impact on northerners. Divided into three sections, Health and Healthcare in Northern Canada paints a broad picture of primary issues that northern peoples face. Several chapters are written by northerners and utilize case studies, quotes, photographs, and other materials to highlight voices and perspectives of people living in northern Canada. In order to maintain resilience, improve the positive outcomes of health determinants, and diminish negative stereotypes, we must ensure that northerners - and their cultures, values, strengths and leadership - are at the centre of the ongoing work to achieve social justice and health equity.

For millennia, plants and their habitats have been fundamental to the lives of Indigenous Peoples - as sources of food and nutrition, medicines, and technological materials - and central to ceremonial traditions, spiritual beliefs, narratives, and language. While the First Peoples of Canada and other parts of the world have developed deep cultural understandings of plants and their environments, this knowledge is often underrecognized in debates about land rights and title, reconciliation, treaty negotiations, and traditional territories. Plants, People, and Places argues that the time is long past due to recognize and accommodate Indigenous Peoples' relationships with plants and their ecosystems. Essays in this volume, by leading voices in philosophy, Indigenous law, and environmental sustainability, consider the critical importance of botanical and ecological knowledge to land rights and related legal and government policy, planning, and decision making in Canada, the United States, Sweden, and New Zealand. Analyzing specific cases in which Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights to the environment have been denied or restricted, this collection promotes future prosperity through more effective and just recognition of the historical use of and care for plants in Indigenous cultures. A timely book featuring Indigenous perspectives on reconciliation, environmental sustainability, and pathways toward ethnoecological restoration, Plants, People, and Places reveals how much there is to learn from the history of human relationships with nature.

Professor Fikret Berkes provides a unique introduction to the social and interdisciplinary dimensions of biodiversity conservation. Examining a range of approaches, new ideas, controversies and debates, he demonstrates that biodiversity loss is not primarily a technical issue, but a social problem that operates in an economic, political and cultural context. Berkes concludes that conservation must be democratized in order to broaden its support base and build more inclusive constituencies for conservation.

This book delves into the significant and timely intersection of cultural heritage, neurodiversity, and smart museums, exploring how various immersive techniques can create more inclusive and engaging heritage experiences for neurodiverse audiences. By focusing on these three aspects, the book aims to contribute significantly to the fields of cultural heritage, neuro-inclusivity, and smart museums, offering practical solutions and examples for heritage professionals and researchers. The book highlights the importance of preserving and enhancing cultural heritage by incorporating immersive technologies and inclusive practices that cater to the needs of neurodiverse audiences. It emphasizes the need for museums and heritage sites to be more inclusive and accessible for neurodivergent individuals, showcasing best practices and innovative techniques to engage this audience effectively.

Enhanced population longevity, decrease in physical activity and the obesity pandemic have resulted in an increase in incidence of type 2 diabetes in all WHO health care areas. The prevalence of the condition has been further increased by an increase in life expectancy of those living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes as a result of lifestyle and therapeutic interventions. Microvascular complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are related to duration of the condition and include neuropathy in 20% of cases in all cultures. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy in combination with propensity to distal peripheral vascular disease, poor healing, infection and foot deformities often result in foot ulceration and a uniquely high minor and major amputation risk. The risk for foot ulceration is modified by ethnicity (foot flexibility) and life style (footwear and culture of walking bare-foot). Once a deep diabetic foot ulcer has developed the epidermis, dermis, tendon insertions and bone architecture will never return to normal . The lack of resilience in the scar tissue formed and foot deformity after a deep ulcer will confer a high risk of re-ulceration-in fact previous foot ulceration is by far the highest risk factor for occurrence of a foot wound in persons living with diabetes.