Wildlife diseases, such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) are growing in prevalence in ungulates in western Canada with many questions being asked about the impact on ecosystems and peoples. A collaborative research project involving a university and a regional Indigenous organization was initiated in 2007 to explore how CWD risk is being communicated to Indigenous peoples, how associated risk is being interpreted and the extent to which information about CWD and perceived risk is affecting harvest and food security. Data collected between 2008–2018 with 105 harvesters from 22 northern Alberta communities reporting about hunting in roughly 61 management units (WMU) confirm previous research about the importance of moose, white-tailed deer and mule deer to the diets of Indigenous peoples. Findings affirm the significance of ungulates to the food security of Indigenous peoples in western Canada with over 97 % of respondents reporting their motivation for harvest of moose (Alces alces), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) being food. Insights about risk communication and perception of CWD are also highlighted with the most significant finding being the high level of concern of harvesters in all areas and all years of the study. A second key finding relates to the relationship between information received about CWD which declined from 2008 to 2018 despite significant increases in the number of positive cases of CWD in Alberta. A third key finding is the importance of Indigenous Knowledge; over 97 % of respondents shared indicators of healthy moose and deer which they use to assess animals in hunting. This high degree of confidence in their own knowledge may suggest Indigenous knowledge is a mediator of risk perception (i.e., hunters are confident they can find and harvest a health animal despite the rising number of CWD cases). Although Indigenous right to lands and resources including wildlife harvesting have been little respected in the past, recognition of such rights, as well as Indigenous knowledge, is key to moving forward and developing more collaborative approaches to monitoring and managing the growing threat of CWD and other wildlife disease.

野生动物疾病，例如慢性消耗性疾病 (CWD) 在加拿大西部的有蹄类动物中越来越流行，人们就其对生态系统和人民的影响提出了许多问题。2007 年启动了一个涉及大学和地区土著组织的合作研究项目，以探索如何将 CWD 风险传达给土著人民、如何解释相关风险以及有关 CWD 和感知风险的信息在多大程度上影响收成和食物安全。2008 年至 2018 年期间，来自艾伯塔省北部 22 个社区的 105 名收割者报告了大约 61 个管理单位 (WMU) 的狩猎数据，这些数据证实了先前关于驼鹿、白尾鹿和长耳鹿对原住民饮食的重要性的研究。Alces alces)、白尾鹿 ( Odocoileus virginianus ) 和骡鹿 ( Odocoileus hemionus)) 是食物。还强调了对 CWD 的风险沟通和认知的见解，最重要的发现是所有领域和所有年份的研究中收割机的高度关注。第二个关键发现与收到的有关 CWD 的信息之间的关系有关，尽管艾伯塔省 CWD 阳性病例的数量显着增加，但该信息从 2008 年到 2018 年有所下降。第三个重要发现是本土知识的重要性；超过 97% 的受访者分享了他们用来评估狩猎动物的健康驼鹿和鹿的指标。这种对自己知识的高度自信可能表明土著知识是风险感知的中介（即，尽管 CWD 病例数量不断增加，但猎人相信他们可以找到并收获健康的动物）。