Canadian Mountain Assessment

Project Overview

The Canadian Mountain Assessment (CMA)––a flagship project of the Canadian Mountain Network––is a landmark initiative that will clarify what we know, do not know, and need to know about Canada’s diverse and rapidly changing mountain systems. The multi-section assessment report will include insights from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit knowledges of mountains, as well as findings from an exhaustive assessment of the pertinent academic literature. The CMA process and structure is designed to bring these multiple forms of evidence together in ways that enhance our collective understanding of mountains in Canada, while also respecting and maintaining the integrity of different knowledge systems. The final CMA report will provide a first-of-its-kind look at the state of knowledge of Canada’s mountains, including the relative scope of knowledge across topics and geographies, based on both Western scientific and Indigenous knowledges. More broadly, the CMA is a platform for connecting researchers, Indigenous Peoples, and practitioners with knowledge of Canada’s mountains, and is therefore helping to catalyze a community of practice related to mountains in Canada. The CMA will include the following sections:

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: Mountain Environments

Section 3: Mountains as Homelands

Section 4: Gifts of the Mountains

Section 5: Mountains Under Pressure

Section 6: Desirable Mountain Futures

Section 7: Conclusions and Outlook