With the Changing Climate, Food Security is at Risk!
Traditional hunting and gathering is an important source of food and medicine in First Nation communities in northern Ontario. Food security in these communities is being threatened by climate change. Higher temperatures and extreme weather are shifting the migration patterns and the range of plants and animals northward, making hunting times more unpredictable, increasing the risk of food spoilage and making it unsafe to travel on the land and water. This is already being observed as hunters, for example, are sighting deer where they have never seen them before and fisherman are catching warm water fish like bass in northern lakes.
What can you and your community do?
monitor commonly harvested animals and plants
protect and restore important habitats
adjust where, when and how you harvest
grow some food in the community
share harvested food
start a community food storage program
assist plant migration
