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

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

Cody Duncan

Lofoten Islands, Norway

In addition to integrating indigenous perspectives into mainstream planning, indigenous peoples stress the urgent need for education based upon traditional knowledge, culture and language (Chapters 6 and 7). Engaging indigenous youth in traditional practices and combining such activities with enhanced education has been identified as especially important for being able to build future sustainability on strong cultural foundations (Chapter 7). Given the magnitude and rate of change in the Barents area, traditional knowledge by itself may not be adequate for meeting future challenges and building a sustainable society. Rather, there is a need for a new kind of education that incorporates both scientific and experience-based knowledge and creates holistic approaches that communicate across cultures (Chapter 8). Such innovative knowledge practices are likely to be essential for the success of adaptation processes and the sustainability of future societies. The integration of different knowledge traditions and co-production of knowledge is beneficial for both indigenous peoples and for society at large. Scientific knowledge of climate change and potential impacts in the Barents area has grown significantly in recent years and is increasingly presented in ways that are accessible and useful to the public. Despite such initiatives there is still an unmet demand for locally relevant information. Moreover, a shared understanding of complex phenomena such as climate change cannot be assumed because social groups have their own experiences, perceptions and knowledge. Climate science may not even be seen as a legitimate, meaningful or relevant source of information for all regional and sectoral actors (e.g. Dannevig and Hovelsrud, 2016). In livelihoods and sectors tied to renewable resources, actors are used to living with high natural variability in both weather and the resource base,which can lead to challenges in communicating long-term change and the potential need for more extensive adaptation strategies (e.g. West and Hovelsrud, 2010).

10.3.1.1 Processes for learning Knowledge plays a central role in local and regional adaptation actions. However, knowledge is not static, uncontested or unitary (Chapters 5 and 8) and the production of knowledge is a complex and often challenging social process that involves actors with various world views and capacities to communicate their specific insights or values (Chapter 3).Building knowledge for adaptation actions thus requires processes and arenas for communication and sharing of insights.The capacity for social learning is emphasized as an important prerequisite throughout this report (Chapters 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9). Processes for social learning are important because people construct mental models, often in the form of grand narratives that serve as frames of reference when trying to understand the world. Different actors in society often operate with different frames of reference, derived from previous experience and priorities which in turn has a bearing on agreements about common problem definitions or solutions. Building knowledge in joint social processes can be a means to overcome such differences. A strong message is that the integration of traditional, local and scientific knowledge is required to make adaptation decisions robust.There are good examples of how knowledge forms can be combined. Successful collaboration between researchers and practitioners particularly with reindeer herders are documented in Chapters 2 and 7. Such efforts often require rethinking the terms and framing of an issue into a language that is meaningful for all parties, for example by referring to weather phenomena rather than climate change. For indigenous peoples, traditional knowledge, culture, and languages together provide a foundation for resilience because they embody experience-based expertise of how societies have adapted to change in the past (see Chapter 7 for testimonials).