Grant: Alliance Grants

The use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) has increased exponentially throughout the world over the last decade. GBH are applied extensively throughout Canada by various industrial sectors, to promote the growth of commercial crop species, to protect infrastructure, and to maintain sight lines. A by-product of GBH applications is exposure of soil surfaces, water, and off-target plants. The effects of extensive use of GBH on forested ecosystems are unclear, however, there is evidence that they pose a risk to wildlife and human health. Glyphosate may create an imbalance in the gut microbial communities of wildlife when it is ingested through natural foraging in forest spaces where GBH has been applied in the past. This gut imbalance has been associated with a range of mammalian disease states, including anxiety-like behavior, gut inflammation, and changes to metabolic responses. We know that glyphosate persists in forests in northern areas of Canada. Given these findings, the widespread use of GBH may alter important microbial communities, including the gut bacteria of forest organisms, which may ultimately influence forest ecosystem function. The goals of this research are: A) To understand the extent to which glyphosate residues exist in the boreal/sub-boreal forests and their effects on forest community composition; and, B) To assess the effects of GBH used in forest-related land management on the gut microbiome and hormone profiles of target wildlife. We will work with the Swan River First Nation, The British Columbia Wildlife Federation, and the British Columbia and Alberta Trapper's Associations to identify the effects of GBH on gut bacteria in a forest food web. We will generate and transfer knowledge to our partners, who use the land to obtain food and medicines, and to recreate. Overall, the project will generate improved understanding of glyphosate residues in forests and their effects on wildlife health. The partner organizations will use this information to advocate for updates to policy, where warranted, and to develop and guide future land use planning, which may lead to changes in Provincial land use policies and/or in Federal recommendations for glyphosate use in forests.