Search for: All records

This paper explores the concept of co-stewardship in the Arctic through the lens of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change’s Human Wellbeing (HWB) team. Rooted in Indigenous knowledge and collaborative science, our work prioritizes equity in decision-making, recognizing multiple knowledge systems as equally valuable. Through intentional team-building, trust, and reciprocity, we examine successes, challenges, and opportunities in co-stewardship. Key successes include fostering meaningful relationships, integrating Indigenous perspectives into scientific and policy discussions, and uplifting innovative knowledge-sharing tools such as oral histories and visual storytelling. However, structural challenges persist, including colonial policy frameworks, inadequate funding models, and a lack of institutional mechanisms to support Indigenous leadership in co-stewardship initiatives. We propose policy shifts, long-term funding commitments, and greater Indigenous representation in decision-making as steps toward meaningful change. This work underscores the importance of Indigenous-led stewardship in addressing Arctic environmental and social challenges, offering a model for collaborative governance rooted in respect and reciprocity. 

Pacific walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens, Illiger 1815) have long been vital to Indigenous communities along Alaska’s west coast. Although current harvest rates are sustainable, climate change and increased industrial activity in the range of this species pose threats to the population and to hunting safety and success. To gather information relevant to addressing these concerns, the Eskimo Walrus Commission and the US Fish and Wildlife Service held a workshop in August 2023 in Nome, Alaska, with experienced Yupik walrus hunters from the communities of Gambell and Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, and Federal walrus biologists. The 3-day event documented extensive information about walrus biology and behavior, which was used to improve a walrus population model. Workshop discussions also addressed concepts of sustainability and the future of walrus hunting. The workshop benefitted from prior collaboration between the biologists and some of the hunters on a walrus research cruise in the Chukchi Sea earlier the same summer, creating a foundation of common experience and interpersonal relationships. In the longer term, the workshop helped demonstrate the value of equitable collaboration towards shared goals, in part by allowing for open conversations rather than, for example, an extended question-and-answer session regarding model parameters. 

Over thousands of years, Indigenous hunters in the Bering and Chukchi seas have adapted to changes in weather, sea ice, and sea state that influence their access to walruses. In recent decades, 10 however, those conditions have been changing at unprecedented rates. Safely adapting to changing conditions will be essential to the well-being of communities.