Exploring Indigenous-industry governance interactions in the Arctic as well as environmental impacts and knowledge basis for management.

The international emphasis on local knowledge systems in environmental governance (i.e. the IPBES)  is challenging existing systems to develop new ways for solving environmental problems and to assess impacts.

Common to several Arctic countries is a need for integrated assessments of environmental impacts that are inclusive of indigenous and local knowledge, and for governance mechanisms that effectively resolve conflicts between extractive industries and indigenous stakeholders.

Cages with farmed Atlantic salmon in Gáivuotna-Kåfjord (Photo: Camilla Brattland).

Drying fish is a tradition going far back in time and still an important income for several communites along the coasts of northern Norway (Photo: Ann E. Lennert).

IndGov is a newly started research project, connected to TriArc, and aims to learn from successful indigenous-industry governance arrangements as well as successful ways of including traditional knowledge in the knowledge basis for management. Hereby, IndGov aims on gaining;

• Comparative knowledge of successful industry-indigenous governance mechanisms for application in northern communities.
• Identify criteria for successful integration of traditional knowledge in ecosystem-based management and environmental impact assessments.

Focusing on expanding industrial activities in relation to reindeer husbandry and marine fisheries, the goals of the project will be accomplished through conducting a series of stakeholder workshops with the mining, electric power and aquaculture industries in relation to indigenous rights and stakeholders. Indigenous actors, industry representatives as well as representatives from the environmental sector are invited to enter into a dialogue on particular environmental and governance issues in the intersection between industry and indigenous land use in the Arctic. The stakeholder workshops will have a special emphasis on learning from “best practice” cases in Sweden, Canada (British Columbia) and New Zealand, to facilitate dialogue on problems and innovative solutions for sustainable indigenous-industry relations.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A FUTURE MASTER STUDENT ON THIS PROJECT?

Master stipends: The IndGov project issues master stipends of NOK 30.000 to conduct specific tasks related to mapping of reindeer husbandry land use in collaboration with Vera Hausner and Per Sandström (the TriArc project). The stipend may be allocated to a student enrolled at an appropriate master program from the fall of 2017 or a graduate. Contact Camilla Brattland at camilla.brattland@uit.no or Vera Hausner at vera.hausner@uit.no for more information.

This is a great opportunity to enter Arctic and Sustainability Sciences, with a positive and innovative research team!

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