Monitoring and Assessment by Indigenous Peoples EEA 2011 Patricia Cochran

Traditional Knowledge and Contaminants Documents Traditional Knowledge about environmental changes throughout Alaska Contents: Resource Guide for Tribes Search the database Native Concerns Research Summaries Related Websites

Databases (cont) – Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods. You can find contaminant data, harvest data, consumption data, nutrition, community harvest descriptions, Native knowledge network, research on contaminants, research-based knowledge, and Native concerns for each village in Alaska.

B S S N Oslo Science Conference June 8-12, 2010 Bering Sea Sub-Network

BSSN I Statistics Six villagesSix villages Two Arctic StatesTwo Arctic States Six indigenous cultures and languagesSix indigenous cultures and languages Two working languagesTwo working languages ~300 participants~300 participants ~600 interviews~600 interviews ~20 researchers & local assistants~20 researchers & local assistants Two data sets: qualitative and quantitativeTwo data sets: qualitative and quantitative Oslo Science Conference June 8-12, 2010 Bering Sea Sub-Network

Observed Changes in Environmental Conditions Oslo Science Conference June 8-12, 2010 Bering Sea Sub-Network

Working Group on Rural Alaska Self-Reliance (WGRAS) Purpose:To promote and enhance self-reliance and well- being of rural Alaska communities as defined by the communities, through partnerships between the communities and the University of Alaska. The combination of changes in climate, rising fuel prices, and numerous social and economic pressures present challenges for the well-being of rural Alaskan communities. State and federal funding to address these problems is uncertain and may decline making it important that communities develop self-reliant strategies to envision the future they want and take steps to implement their vision. Historically research fails to meet the needs of communities because it is guided by the agenda of researchers and usually fails to respect and engage community members as full partners in the research. Many initiatives to address the well-being of Alaskan communities are insufficient because they are reactive rather than proactive, not holistic or interdisciplinary and are not well informed by local knowledge and wisdom.

Arctic Alliance The Arctic Alliance is a network of organizations with a mutual interest in sustainable community development and protection of the Arctic environment. Arctic Monitor, a weekly ed resource providing updates on developments across the Arctic region. Arctic Monitor is circumpolar in scope, reporting on environmental, indigenous, economic and social issues that involve or affect the people of the North. Community-based carbon assessment.

NRF - Northern Research Forum NRF - 6th Open Assembly "Our Ice Dependent World" Hveragerdi, Iceland September

RSE – Religion, Science & Environment 2009 – Mississippi River 2007 – Arctic/Greenland 2006 – Amazon 2003 – Baltic Sea 2002 – Adriatic Sea 1999 – The Danube 1997 – Black Sea 1995 – The Aegean RSE is a movement originally conceived in 1988 on the Isle of Patmos, at a meeting of environmental and religious leaders, out of concern for the water environment of the planet.

The goal of Many Strong Voices is to promote the well-being, security, and sustainability of coastal communities in the Arctic and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by bringing these regions together to take action on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to tell their stories to the world. The Arctic and SIDS are barometers of global environmental change. They are considered critical testing grounds for the ideas and programs that will strengthen the adaptive capacities of human societies confronting climate change. Lessons learned through MSV will support policy development at local, regional, and international levels. They will provide decision makers in the two regions with the knowledge to safeguard and strengthen vulnerable social, economic, and natural systems.

UNFCCC – COP16 Cancun, Mexico IIPFCC – International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change

IPCCSD – Indigenous Peoples’ Global Network on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change Anchorage Declaration The network, created in the wake of the Summit, brings together indigenous organizations from different countries that have on-the-ground work related to climate change and climate- sensitive development.

Indigenous Ways of Knowing Contribute to Understanding the Ecosystem Qualitative understanding of: 1)How cultures are sustained in extreme climates 2)How/when/where to access subsistence foods 3)Daily and seasonal weather patterns 4)Sustainable food harvesting techniques and strategies 5)Wildlife biology and behavior patterns 6)How to adapt to climatic changes 7)Complex natural interrelationships 8)Abnormal natural phenomena in the context of long time periods 9)Qualitative historical knowledge and information of the natural world

Benefits and Products Help determine if observations of anomalies or changes are local, regional, or ecosystem-wide in scope. Help identify emergent trends at their outset. Assist in developing hypotheses for declining marine species. Indigenous observers may provide information that lead to development of new, additional research parameters that might not have been added or would have been possible without the observer system. Local communities will be active participants and partners in research, ensuring more support for efforts of the scientists and enhancing opportunities for future partnerships.

Benefits Usable data will be gathered that may provide some degree of ground-truthing to scientific data gathering. Student observers will increase their observation skills, contact with local Elders, and become more engaged in science that is immediately relevant to their communities. Properly constructed processes and protocols could be replicated in other areas until observer coverage includes many indigenous communities. Engaged indigenous organizations will become more active participants in scientific conferences and workshops thus increasing value and information.