Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Barents Area

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Chapter 7 · Indigenous peoples’ perspectives

7.2.4 Technology – far-reaching impacts The impact of new technologies on indigenous peoples across the Barents area is multifaceted. Indigenous peoples have incorporated new technologies as needed and have adapted them, or to them as required. However, not all new technologies are embraced. For many reasons they may not meet the demands of what is in effect a rigorous and demanding workplace environment. The snowmobile has transformed reindeer herding in the Nordic countries, allowing herders to access their herd more quickly but at the cost of spending less time with the animals. The ‘snowmobile revolution’ is now a well-worn phrase, but its effect has been significant. The main impacts of the early technological revolution were a heightened dependence on outside factors such as the need to purchase fuel (Pelto, 1973). In addition, many technological advances are introduced to larger markets first and take time to arrive in remote areas, if they arrive at all. However, the lack of one technological advance may assist a region in leapfrogging straight to the next stage of innovation – the rapid spread of mobile telephony and mobile-enabled internet access is one such example. In fact, there is some support for referring to this as the‘mobile phone revolution’ (Stammler, 2009, 2013) because this technology has altered indigenous peoples’ lives immeasurably. In 1981, the first cellphone network was launched in the Nordic countries and anecdotal evidence suggests reindeer herders in Norway were early users of this technology as they quickly realized its potential. By 1988, Norway had the world’s highest density of mobile phones (Telenor Group, 2012). “Of course, I understand that it’s the 21st century, computers, big cities, mobilization and so on. In this case, those who want to become a reindeer herder and live in the forest would be very few. But why does everyone think in clichés? We can perfectly combine our traditions and new traditions and new technologies, and not only combine, but also extract the maximum benefit from it. If we develop this idea and bring it to life, we will have more benefits.” Workshop participant, EALLIN (2015:36) Just as with mechanized transportation, the integration of cell phone technologies into reindeer herding societies was rapid and complete in Scandinavia long before it was in northwestern Russia. But once introduced, its spread there was also rapid. However, herders and hunters work in remote areas, often far from villages, roads and cellphone towers. Cell phone coverage is patchy even in many herding areas in Scandinavia. In northwestern Russia, coverage is extremely patchy and focused on towns, villages and industrial installations. Technology has certainly connected indigenous peoples in ways that could not be imagined in the past – social networking sites such as Facebook and Vkontakte have transformed the way that indigenous peoples in the region connect and share information. Indeed, the Sámi language appears to be thriving on the social network Facebook, although this has yet to be fully studied. Devices with GPS capabilities are making life in the tundra and mountains safer. GPS devices are being attached to reindeer and predators across the Nordic countries to monitor their movements and increase understanding. The interpretation of results by herders and scientists is often contested however.

A future technological gain that would quickly assist life in the remote regions of the tundra would be portable and renewable power generation for recharging devices, currently achieved through expensive and heavy diesel which must be carried by reindeer sledge. 7.3 Actions for adaptation in indigenous peoples’ societies Research and education in indigenous peoples’ societies over the past 30 years may not be enough to face the climate- related challenges expected in the coming decades. This section describes four possibilities that indigenous peoples’ societies in the Barents area could use in developing the tools and solutions needed to adapt to the multiple challenges they are likely to experience: advanced land-use modeling tools, repurposed impact assessments, better use of the knowledge base, and different ways of education delivery. Together, these should lead to a more effective science-policy interface to better prepare communities, especially the youth for the coming changes. 7.3.1 Modeling and maps Understanding cumulative impacts and the future consequences onArctic nature of climate and socio-economic drivers through modeling may become a powerful means to assist local and regional decision-makers in understanding and mitigating potential future developments and in advancing adaptation strategies.Climate change impacts, as well as increased demand by the global economy for Arctic natural resources will have a major impact on the livelihood, living conditions, and wellbeing of the people and communities in the Barents area. Modeling the individual and integrated impacts of human-induced pressures on biodiversity may help strengthen the integrated knowledge basis for policies on sustainable development (Glomsrød et al., 2017). The GLOBIO3 model (see Box 7.4) has been developed to estimate and illustrate the global trends in integrated impacts of climate change and human-induced pressures on terrestrial biodiversity (Alkemade et al., 2009). It incorporates the impact of five different pressures: land use change, infrastructure development, land fragmentation, nitrogen deposition, and climate change. For this study, an assessment was made for three pilot areas in the Barents Region. The aim of this pilot analysis was to gather information to raise awareness about the consequences of the multi-drivers of change in indigenous peoples’ societies. Because the impact of nitrogen deposition in the Arctic is low (levels are below thresholds for impacts on Arctic biomes) this pressure is excluded from the present analysis. The pilot studies concern three key areas: Finnmark county in Norway, the ‘Laponia’ area in Sweden, and the Nenets AO in Russia. ‘Laponia’ is located in Norrbotten county, Sweden and its borders comprise ten neighboring Sameby , as well as the Laponia region added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1996. The three case studies are all located within the traditional reindeer herding areas of Sámi and