Programme Cooperation Agreement 2012 – 2013

By the end of 2012, the reindeer herders and their pastures were included into a newly designated protected area, the Tengis-Shishged River Basin National Park.

8.2 LINKING LOCAL AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN SIDS ‘Integrating scientific and traditional knowledge to reduce community vulnerability’ is an Ecosystem-based Adapta- tion (EbA) project to enhance resilience of local communi- ties in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to adverse climate change effects. The project’s methodology merges time-honoured local knowledge and practice with the lat- est scientific research to determine appropriate and sus- tainable solutions. This project is part of the Many Strong Voices (MSV) programme (see below) which links Arctic and SIDS communities to address climate change. The lessons learned here will be shared with Arctic and SIDS communities in the MSV network. The initial phase involves pilot programmes in Central America (Belize) and the Indian Ocean (Seychelles) to gather baseline data, consolidate existing methodologies for linking local and scientific knowledge, conduct field- work in collaboration with local communities, develop a toolkit, analyse preliminary results and prepare initial

policy recommendations, and ensure outreach to regional stakeholders. To date, one peer-reviewed article related to the project has been published in Sustainability (August 2012) focusing on EbA in the Caribbean. A second paper focusing on EbA in the AIMS Region 66 is under develop- ment. 67 Site visits and potential partner meetings were held in Belize in late 2012, in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, and in the Seychelles in February-March 2013, coordinated by the Seychelles Ministry of Environment. A pilot phase methodology has been agreed upon in principle but fieldwork in both coun- tries has been postponed to 2014 due to capacity short- comings among local partners. Other follow-on activities have also been delayed as a result. GRID-Arendal is trying to address this issue by seeking additional funding which will help local organizations start implementation. Noti- fications on new funding applications are expected from March 2014.

66. Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea 67. http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/4/8/1908

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