Publications

The importance of using knowledge of Indigenous peoples alongside with science in research, management and resource development is increasingly acknowledged. Despite political intentions of including the knowledge of Indigenous peoples, the extent and quality of utilizing their knowledge is uneven in the Arctic. The lack of agreed definitions of various concepts used for the knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and their interchangeable and inconsistent use, creates confusion about their meaning and implications. In this article we review the knowledge concepts and their interrelatedness, developing concept maps to visualize their similarities and differences with a view to clarify the confusion and aid to a more consistent engagement and utilization of this knowledge. We argue that Indigenous knowledge is the only concept that emphasize the identity aspect and thus imply the distinct status and collective rights of Indigenous peoples, distinguishing it from other knowledge concepts. Our review suggests that the use of concepts varies significantly in the Arctic, shaped by the colonial and political-economic processes in Greenland, the Canadian Arctic, and Alaska. We also observe a transition in use of concepts from traditional knowledge to Indigenous knowledge.

This report presents the findings from a workshop that was held in December 2019 in Nuuk, Greenland, as part of a project that focused on inclusion of local communities and Indigenous peoples, and their knowledges and experiences, in relation to social and environmental impact assessments in the European Arctic. The project was titled: ’LOVISA’ (Lokal Viden og Oprindelig Viden i Sociale Konsekvensvurderinger i Europæisk Arktis).

Mineral extraction is pursued in Greenland to strengthen the national economy. In order that new industries promote sustainable development, environmental impact assessments and social impact assessments are legally required and undertaken by companies prior to license approval to inform decision-making. Knowledge systems in Arctic indigenous communities have evolved through adaptive processes over generations, and indigenous knowledge (IK) is considered a great source of information on local environments and related ecosystem services. In Greenland the Inuit are in the majority, and Greenlanders are still considered indigenous. The Inuit Circumpolar Council stresses that utilizing IK is highly relevant in the Greenland context. Impact assessment processes involve stakeholder engagement and public participation, and hence offer arenas for potential knowledge sharing and thereby the utilization of IK. Based on the assumption that IK is a valuable knowledge resource, which can supplement and improve impact assessments in Greenland thus supporting sustainable development, this paper presents an investigation of how IK is utilized in the last stages of an impact assessment process when the final report is subject to a hearing in three recent mining projects in Greenland.

The Pikialasorsuaq Atlas is an attempt to bridge and represent both scientific knowledge and Inuit knowledge about a critically important Arctic sea ice feature. The Atlas consists of a web-based platform containing a variety of datasets, allowing the viewer to develop a comprehensive understanding of the ecological and cultural importance of the North Water Polynya (Pikialasorsuaq). A collaboration between the Inuit Circumpolar Council's Pikialasorsuaq Commission, Dalhousie University, KNAPK (The Association of Fishers and Hunters in Greenland) and WWF, the Atlas was released in 2017. This paper will describe the methodology used for documenting Inuit knowledge, discuss the structure of the Atlas, and explore the implications of using Inuit knowledge datasets in the context of a broader integrated, web-based platform. More specifically, this paper will explore the following questions: 1) What are the main challenges of representing and using Inuit knowledge data with other types of data; and 2) What are the consequences of decontextualization and reconstruction of knowledge implicit in the Atlas? The authors will argue that Inuit data, if carefully curated and presented, can be employed in the co-production of knowledge by Indigenous Peoples and researchers challenging prevailing cartographic representations with counter-mapping practices.

This Guidance Note on Indigenous and Local Community Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic seeks to contribute to the existing field of guidance and regulatory documents by highlighting good practices and lessons learnt. Its aim is to encourage and support public and private project proponents active in the European Arctic in their efforts to engage with local and indigenous communities.