Abstract:
This statement is a collaborative effort to support community-based monitoring (CBM) programs and access to the data collected. We write from the perspective of researchers and community leaders/members working to expand the inclusion of cultural knowledge in curricula, and increase the application of environmental data from observers in local and regional planning for natural resource management, stewardship, and preservation of culture. Indigenous Knowledge continues to be underrepresented and underutilized by the scientific and governmental organizations, missing the opportunity to apply an in-depth source of information for the improvement of community safety and regional policy. This statement offers examples illustrating the importance of community members’ knowledge and CBM programs to local information, use and decision-making needs. We emphasize the importance of local and regional uses of these observations, including uses for Indigenous language learning, education, and youth engagement.
Authors: Alexandra Ravelo, Natasha Haycock-Chavez, Joshua Brown, Noor Johnson, Betsy Sheffield, Matthew Druckenmiller, Melissa Van Veen, Curtis Rattray, Hannah-Marie Garcia, Lauren, Divine, Emma Harrison, Donna Hauser, Søren Stach Nielsen, Per Ole Frederiksen, PâviâraK Jakobsen, Finn Danielsen.
Read the statement here.
This statement was led by Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic with many partners. One of the contributors was the UArctic Thematic Network on Collaborative Resource Management.