Erica Oberndorfer, PhD
Cultural botany, plant ecology, field botany, northern and Indigenous food systems, cultural contributions to biodiversity
Current research and/or projects
Supporting Makkovimiut Food Systems, 2021-2026
- In partnership with the Inuit Community of Makkovik (Nunatsiavut), building locally relevant systems for soil development, cold climate growing, and enhancing appik (bakeapple; Rubus chamaemorus) harvest
Inuit-led agriculture in Gjoa Haven, 2020-2023
- Supporting the cultivation of Inuit cultural plants in controlled growing environments in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut
Vegetable production in the North, 2019-2021
- Testing systems for cold climate growing using season extension technologies in Goose Bay, Labrador
Biodiversity monitoring, 2019-current
- Tracking introduced agricultural weed species in Labrador
Research and/or project statements
Arctic and boreal regions have food systems that are uniquely adapted to local conditions, and are shaped by the long-term practices of Indigenous Peoples. Approaches to food systems research that resonate in this context will listen and respond to Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge. I work to advance interdisciplinary research partnerships that are respectful of local context, support biodiverse and sustainable food systems, and are collectively relevant for all partners.
Professional activities / interests
Indigenous Science Liaison Office, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2021-current
Interdepartmental Indigenous Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics (I-STEM) Cluster, Government of Canada, 2020-current
Coastal Biovigilance Network, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2019-current
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Terrestrial Steering Group, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, 2018-current
Associate Editor, Journal of Ethnobiology, 2018-2020
Education and awards
Post-doctoral Fellowship, Labrador Institute, 2016-2018
Ph.D., Geography, Carleton University, 2016
M.Sc., Biology, Saint Mary's University, 2006
B.Arts Sc. (Hons.), McMaster University, 2000
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Robin P. Armstrong Memorial Prize for Excellence in Indigenous Studies, Canadian Association of Geographers, 2018
Barbara Lawrence Award, Society of Ethnobiology, 2017
Graduate Research and Innovative Thinking Award, Carleton University, 2015
Canadian Polar Commission Scholarship, Canadian Northern Studies Trust, 2014
International experience and/or work
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Terrestrial Steering Group, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, 2018-current
CAFF-IASC Fellow, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna - International Arctic Science Committee, 2018-2019
Key publications
- Aronsson, M., S. Heiðmarsson, H. Jóhannesdóttir, T. Barry, J. Braa, C.T. Burns, S.J. Coulson, C. Cuyler, K. Falk, H. Helgason, K.F. Lárusson, J.P. Lawler, P. Kulmala, D. MacNearney, E. Oberndorfer, V. Ravolainen, N.M. Schmidt, M. Soloviev, C. Coon and T. Christensen. (2021). State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland. ISBN 978-9935-431-94-3.
- Oberndorfer, E., Broomfield, T., Lundholm, J., & Ljubicic, G. (2020). Biodiversity and cultural landscapes: Inuit cultural practices increase small-scale biodiversity and create novel vegetation communities in Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada). Biodiversity and Conservation 29:1205-1240.
- Winters, N. (2020). Reflections from Them Days: A Residential School Memoir from Nunatsiavut. E. Oberndorfer (Ed). Inhabit Education Books. ISBN 978-1-77450-207-5
- Oberndorfer, E. (2020). What the blazes?! A people's history of fire in Labrador. The Journal of the North Atlantic, 40:1-16.
- Oberndorfer, E., Winters, N., Gear, C., Broomfield, T., Ljubicic, G., & Lundholm, J. (2017). Plants in a “sea of relationships”: Networks of plants and fishing in Makkovik, Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada). Journal of Ethnobiology, 37(3):457-477
- Oberndorfer, E., & Lundholm, J. (2009). Species richness, abundance, rarity and environmental gradients in coastal barren vegetation. Biodiversity and Conservation 18(6):1523-1553.
- Oberndorfer, E., Lundholm, J., Bass, B., Coffman, R., Doshi, H., Dunnett, N., Gaffin S., Köhler M., Liu, K., & Rowe, B. (2007). Green roofs as urban ecosystems: ecological structures, functions and services. BioScience, 57(10):823-832.