Association of Polar Early Career Scientists

Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic Countries website Polar research involves knowledge gathering and information integration from many sources. In the Polar Regions, Traditional Knowledge (TK) plays a central and important role. The notion and definition of traditional knowledge varies across geography, disciplines, and peoples, however, is becoming increasingly recognized as valuable information and knowledge in the area of polar science in particular. Discussions pertaining to traditional knowledge also relate to local knowledge, indigenous knowledge or traditional ecological knowledge.

Traditional Knowledge has many definitions, however the core definition is well described by an elder fromjpg Tuktoyaktuk in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region: Traditional Knowledge is the pride in knowing your culture and knowing how to survive in your surroundings. Traditional Knowledge is a rich knowledge base, it is knowledge gained from the experience of living on the land and knowledge passed down by ancestors, and it takes a holistic approach to understanding the environment. As science often takes a reductionist approach to understanding the environment, using Traditional Knowledge and scientific knowledge together creates a more in-depth understanding of ecosystems or species of study.

These pages summarize the different areas of Traditional Knowledge and provide the reader with various resources and opportunities to learn about the important discussions amongst traditional knowledge holders and experts in this area. Map Source: Arctic Council.

This page was put together by Jennie Knopp, Yulia Zaika and Laura Fleming-Sharp.

APECS Nordic Webinar Series

Bridging the Gap: Indigenous, Social and Natural Science Perspectives on Research Relationships in Nordic Countries

APECS Nordic Webinar Series 2013 Part 1 from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

Every story has at least two sides. The story of climate change research in Nordic communities has three. This webinar is intended to highlight the main communication challenges faced by natural scientists, as well as social scientists, in their community-based research efforts. As well, it seeks to highlight Indigenous perspectives on how to open a successful dialogue and begin to overcome challenges.

In this webinar, you will be introduced to the fundamental issues that can hinder cross-communication between social scientists, natural scientists and members of indigenous communities in Nordic regions. When communication is compromised, relevant knowledge and evidence from indigenous sources can be left out of scientific considerations, and the validity of findings can be compromised in turn. Climate change is a problem that impacts us all, so it is essential to start working together to find solutions we can share.

Speakers:
Gail Fondahl (IASSA President, University of Northern British Columbia)
Gunhild Ninis Rosqvist (Stockholm University, Sweden and Tarfala Research Station)
Getting in touch with Nordic communities: Reaching out gently

APECS Nordic Webinar Series 2013 Part 2 from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

Approaching an unfamiliar community can be a challenge for a researcher, considering it takes time for a community to come to know and trust a new face. The process of building a trusting relationship between a community and a research group is delicate, and we must all tread lightly towards co-operative cohabitation during research efforts. This webinar is intended to highlight some difficulties faced by researchers and community members, even of a shared background, in introducing the prospect of collaborating in a shared space.

Speakers:
Svetlana Usenyuk (Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture, Helsinki, Finland)
Heidi McCann (Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, USA)
Colleen Strawhacker (Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, USA)
Reflections on Sami research: being a researcher and being researched

APECS Nordic Webinar Series 2013 Part 3 from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

What does it mean to be a researcher, but also to be researched at the same time? In this webinar we will share Sami perspectives and thoughts on this very cutting-edge of community-based research.

Speaker:
Else Grete Broderstad (Center for Sami Studies at the University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway)
Youth indigenous peoples in education and outreach

APECS Nordic Webinar Series 2013 Part 4 from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

Engaging Indigenous youth in research that guides the development of their home communities is not a matter of simply giving them tools to think scientifically. Part of the purpose of education and outreach is to create a platform for different kinds of knowledge to merge, and to cultivate innovative solutions for a shared future. This webinar seeks to promote the indigenous youth voice and provide guidance for outreach planners in polar communities.

Speaker:
Dmitriy Berezhkov (University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway)
Indigenous Knowledge management through Information and Communication Technologies

APECS Nordic Webinar Series 2013 Part 5 from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

Community-based research by, with, and for Arctic Indigenous peoples has become recognized as a valuable source of data and often involves knowledge and observations of residents and local experts. These data frequently take the form of recordings or books, but recent development of Information Technologies of various kinds such as GIS, interactive mapping, and websites documenting oral histories allow for Indigenous Arctic research to be made available to communities, researchers, and other interested groups. In this webinar, we will present a review of various systems being developed through the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge in the Arctic (ELOKA) as well as discuss the opportunities to collect, manage and represent Indigenous knowledge through Information and Communication Technology. Throughout the presentation, we will discuss issues that must be considered and addressed throughout the project including practical challenges, appropriate representation, and ethical and legal issues.

Speakers:
Heidi McCann (Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, USA)
Colleen Strawhacker (Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, USA)
Peter Pulsifer (Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, USA)

Resources

Books

Berkes, F. 1999.Sacred ecology: traditional ecological knowledge and management systems. Taylor & Francis, Philadelphia and London, UK.

Berkes, F., and C. Folke. 2002. Back to the future: ecosystem dynamics and local knowledge. Pages 121–146in L. H. Gunderson and C. S. Holling, editors. Panarchy: understanding transformations in human and natural systems. Island Press, Washington, D.C., USA.

Berkes. F., J. Colding, and C. Folke.2003.Navigating social–ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Fabricius, C., and E. Koch. 2004.Rights, resources and rural development: community-based natural resource management in Southern Africa. Earthscan, London, UK Gadgil, M., P. Olsson, F.

Berkes, and C. Folke. 2003. Exploring the role of local ecological knowledge for ecosystem management: three case studies. Pages 189–209 in F. Berkes, J. Colding, and C. Folke, editors.Navigating social–ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Krupnik, I., and D. Jolly.2002. The Earth is faster now: indigenous observation on Arctic environmental change.Arcus, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.
Journal Articles

Berkes, F., J. Colding, and C. Folke. 2000. Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological Applications, 10:1251–1262.

Brown, K. 2003. Three challenges for a real people-centred conservation. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 12:89–92.

Carpenter, S. R., and L. H. Gunderson. 2001. Coping with collapse: ecological and social dynamics in ecosystem management. BioScience, 5, 1:451–457.

Davidson-Hunt, I., and F. Berkes. 2003. Learning as you journey: Anishinaabe perception of social–ecological environments and adaptive learning. Conservation Ecology, 8(1):5

Davis, A., and J. R. Wagner. 2003. Who knows? On the importance of identifying experts when researching local ecological knowledge. Human Ecology, 31:463–489.

Gadgil M., P. R. Seshagiri Rao, G. Utkarsh, P. Pramod, and A. Chatre. 2000. New meanings for old knowledge: the people’s biodiversity registers programme. Ecological Applications, 10:1307–1317.

Garibaldi, A., and Turner, N. 2004. Cultural keystone species: implications for ecological conservation and restoration. Ecology and Society, 9(3):1.

Kellert, S. R., J. N. Mehta, S. A. Ebbin, and L. L. Lichtenfeld. 2000. Community natural resource management: promise, rhetoric, and reality. Society and Natural Resources, 13:705–715.

Ludwig, D., M. Mangel, and B. Haddad. 2001. Ecology, conservation, and public policy. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 32:481–517.

Mackinson, S., and L. Nottestad. 1998. Combining local and scientific knowledge. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 8:481–490.

Moller, H., F. Berkes, P. O. Lyver, and M. Kislalioglu. 2004. Combining science and traditional ecological knowledge: monitoring populations for co-management. Ecology and Society, 9(3):2.

Olsson, P., C. Folke, and F. Berkes. 2004. Adaptive co-management for building resilience in social-ecological systems. Environmental Management, 34:75–90.

Pretty, J., and H. Ward. 2001. Social capital and the environment. World Development, 29:209–227.

Watson, A., L. Alessa, and B. Glaspell. 2003. The relationship between traditional ecological knowledge, evolving cultures, and wilderness protection in the circumpolar north. Conservation Ecology, 8(1):2.
Organizations and Networks

ARCTIConnexion is run by graduate students at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, is built on the experience and engagement of student-researchers and professionals. The team deals with natural science and/or social science issues in the Arctic and Subarctic regions, on Inuit homeland. Many of their projects are community-based and allow unique opportunities for research collaboration between students, researchers and Canadian Arctic communities.

Inuit Qaujisarvingat, Inuit Knowledge Center. The goal of the newly established Inuit Qaujisarvingat (kow-yee-sar-ving-at), Inuit Knowledge Centre, is to bridge the gap between Inuit knowledge and western science and build capacity among Inuit to respond to global interests in Arctic issues. Inuit Qaujisarvingat is based at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami headquarters in Ottawa.

Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) facilitates the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic. ELOKA provides data management and user support, and fosters collaboration between resident Arctic experts and visiting researchers. By working together, Arctic residents and researchers can make significant contributions to understanding the Arctic and recent changes. The program is run through the National Snow and Ice Data Center Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) University of Colorado.

Local Environmental Observers Network (LEO) run by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is a group of tribal professionals who apply traditional knowledge, western science and technology to document unusual plants and wildlife, extreme weather, erosion, flooding, droughts, wildfire and other events that can threaten food security, water security and community health.

Bridging Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries is an APECS-Norden 14-month research project that will leverage the research, education and outreach experience of the APECS network to identify ways to enhance engagement between Early Career Researchers and Indigenous peoples in Nordic regions.

Bering Sea Sub-Network (BSSN) brings together researchers and local residents in co-production of science, which is place-based and relevant to the societal needs in Alaska and eastern Russia.rings together researchers and local residents in co-production of science, which is place-based and relevant to the societal needs in Alaska and eastern Russia.