For instance, when we work with species at risk, the Inuit knowledge that was not being considered was how the polar bear was being impacted by climate change. There was a movement in the United States to uplist the polar bear to a category three, endangered species. When you listened to the elders in our communities, and the knowledge they possess, it was completely the opposite. It has now been proven that Inuit were right in their assessment of the situation. So that's an example of how you have to go into a much deeper analysis of each of the key principles I talked about.
When the Mackenzie Valley pipeline review was taking place in the early seventies—and it still applies today—when they were holding public hearings, the Inuvialuit elders said they had to develop in a certain place and not in another place, in terms of the pipeline. The scientists thought they were on the right track until an elder spoke up and said that the beluga whales calved in a certain area of the ocean. They checked into that, and he was absolutely right.
So that's what I mean. We need to consider all the knowledge that people possess when you start to develop a conservation plan, because these are the real-life situations we're experiencing.