For over 40 years, Erik has worked on issues related to Indigenous land claims, northern resource development and parks management for Indigenous organizations and the federal and territorial governments in Northern Quebec, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Tanzania. With degrees in biogeography and resource management, Erik has undertaken community-based research in areas such as traditional Inuit and Maasai land use and occupancy mapping, offshore fisheries/oil and gas management, socio-economic impact assessment of major resource development projects, and economic impact analysis of parks and protected areas.
In 1982, Erik joined the federal government as a policy analyst for the Canada Oil and Gas Lands Administration. Two years later he started work with Parks Canada holding various research and management positions including superintendent of Nahanni National Park Reserve. He also coordinated northern climate change and biodiversity research programs for Environment Canada and provided policy advice to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in areas such as sustainable development and land claims implementation.
In 2000 he transferred to the Yukon Government as the Director of the Yukon Protected Areas Strategy (YPAS) Secretariat. Three years later Erik was appointed the Director of Yukon Parks where he oversaw the operation of a network of campgrounds and recreation sites and the establishment of two new territorial parks: Tombstone and Fishing Branch. Erik retired from Yukon Parks in 2012.
Since then Erik has worked for Nunavut Tunngavik in Gjoa Haven on a Cultural Resources Inventory and Interpretive Materials (CRIIM) project which supported protected area management planning for the Queen Maude Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary; Makivik Corporation in Nunavik on an atlas project related to the history of Inuit land selections (1975-1980); and Kesho Trust on mapping Maasai land use and occupancy in Tanzania to document their customary land rights.