A Synthesis of Climate Adaptation Planning Needs in Alaska Native Communities Danielle Meeker ACCAP Research Intern Scripps Institution of Oceanography San Diego Photo US Geological Survey Background ID: 761146
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A Synthesis of Climate Adaptation Planning Needs in Alaska Native Communities Danielle Meeker ACCAP Research InternScripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego Photo: US Geological Survey
Background 238 federally recognized tribes in Alaska Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK):knowledge held by indigenous cultures about their immediate environment & related cultural practices Key Climate Change Vulnerabilities: Subsistence-based lifestyle Threats to infrastructure Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska, 2013
April & May 2017 International Arctic Research Center @ U. of Alaska FairbanksAdvisory Chair: Dr. Nathan Kettle Co-Investigator at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Policy (ACCAP)Target Audience: Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Alaska Tribal Climate Science Liaison (Hired Spring 2017) Project Details IARC Building
Review and content analysis of grey literature related to tribal climate adaptation planning in Alaska (39 documents) Existing adaptation plansWorkshop proceedings Institution reportsClimate impact assessments Undocumented events (trainings + workshops) were compiled into table Deliverable : Report for BIA Alaska Tribal Climate Science Liaison and steering committee. Dissemination: Presentation to IARC researchers and tribal representatives. Report to be posted on ACCAP website. Project Design
Literature review was guided by five research questions: What is the current level of tribal climate adaptation planning in Alaska?What are the barriers...? How is climate science used...?How are TEK & local observations used...?What are the climate science needs....? Project Design
Extensive web-based search to identify documents & events Compiled list reviewed by experts NVivo content analysis software used for manually categorizing sections of literature (“coding”) Coding dictionary: Defined categories (e.g. “climate science needs”, “barriers to adaptation” ) and subcategories (e.g. ”ineffective policy”, “need for public outreach ” ) Methods NVivo software
Two completed plansNorton Bay Watershed Climate Adaptation & Action Plan (2013) Shaktoolik Climate Change Adaptation Plan (2014) What is the Extent of Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning? Other adaptation planning efforts: 31 Trainings 31 Workshops 15 Climate Impact Assessments 12 BIA adaptation grants in Alaska (2013-2016) Four plans in progress Nome Eskimo Community Chugach Region Southeast Alaska Traditional Village of Oscarville
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What Are the Barriers to Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning? Most frequent barrier was insufficient funding (n=23) Competing priorities for community funds Shortcomings of cost-benefit analyses “Stove-piped” approach to agency funding Additional Barriers: Inflexible, outdated policy (natural resource mgmt ) Lack of agency or framework (community relocation) Insufficient interagency coordination
How is Climate Science Used in Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning? Shaktoolik Temperature and precipitation projections (SNAP) Modeled flooding & erosion risks from flooding analysis (USACE/ NOAA ) Shoreline profiles from hazard mapping project (DGGS) Peer-reviewed studies on permafrost thaw, sea level rise, etc Norton Bay Watershed Temperature and precipitation projections (SNAP & EPA) Satellite data on glacial melt and declining sea ice (NASA) Peer-reviewed studies on sea level rise and fire risk (UAF) Both plans cite a lack of downscaled , usable data
How are TEK and Local Observations Used in Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning? Shaktoolik Not specifically mentioned in plan Planning process included community meetings and tribal representation on planning committees Norton Bay Watershed Includes three years (Mar 2014-2017) of gathering TEK Update plan in Nov 2017 with additional TEK Proprietary nature of TEK and increasing protections from institutions could mean that the literature review does not reflect the full extent of use in adaptation planning .
What Are the Climate Science Needs Related to Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning? Need to understand impacts of climate change on community lifestyle & healthThreats to Infrastructure permafrost thaw, flooding, snow cover Coastal Changese rosion, storm surge, sea level rise, sea ice Subsistence Availability & Access s pecies distribution, phenology, weather Nearshore Environment w ater temperature, currents, contaminants, ocean acidification
What Are the Climate Science Needs Related to Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning? Need for information and tools other than conventional climate data & need for site-specific, user-friendly data Community-Based Monitoring can be used to create baseline data to document climate change increases community participation and education e.g. erosion, water quality, ice extent, soil temperature, subsistence species Data-Sharing Mechanism used to standardize and coordinate data collection reduces fatigue in communities
“We don’t need more data, we need to be able to use the data that exists. The amount of data for fish, e.g. in any one community is overwhelming.” – CRRC Adaptation Planning Project What Are the Climate Science Needs Related to Tribal Climate Adaptation Planning?
Recommendations for Future Planning Improving Researcher-Tribe Relations Increasing the Utility of Science Encourage two-way communication & parity Receive community consent and input at every step of research Ensure delivery of appropriate, usable data to affected communities Stacks of reports = not useful Need for data-sharing mechanism Database/reference list of existing plans and studies for each community
Potential for Future Research What are the existing networks? What is the best way to coordinate agency efforts? Mapping agency, institution, non-profit and private efforts to identify networks Would benefit from interviews, surveys and feedback from stakeholders, inc. tribes Similar project underway in Lt. Governor’s Office; will join project in July 2017 Examine agency resources and abilities to determine where there is room for coordination. Is an independent, interdisciplinary entity needed? Current collaboration effort underway in support of Adapt Alaska website
Acknowledgments Capstone Advisory CommitteeDr. Nathan Kettle (ACCAP)Dr. Davin Holen (Alaska Sea Grant)Dr. Jennifer Burney (UCSD) Dr. Lynn Russell (Scripps) Dr. Ellie Farahani (Scripps) Additional Reviewers Malinda Chase & Karen Pletnikoff Funding & Resources Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Policy Scripps Institution of Oceanography
References Gail Bergman, Brenda, and Jeff Hetrick. 2016. “Chugach Regional Resources Commission Climate Change Adaptation Planning Project Final Report.”Holen, Davin. 2017. “Southeast Alaska Environmental Conference: Report on the Climate Change Adaptation Summit.”Johnson , Terry, and Glenn Gray. 2014. “Shaktoolik, Alaska: Climate Change Adaptation for an At-Risk Community Adaptation Plan.”Murray, E., Ryan, J., Shepherd, H. & Thaler, T., Griffith, G., Crossett, T., Rasker, R. (Eds). 2013. Climate Adaptation and Action Plan for the Norton Bay Watershed, Alaska, Model Forest Policy Program in association with Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, the Cumberland River Compact and Headwaters Economics; Sagle, ID. Pletnikoff , Karen, Aaron Poe, Karen Murphy, Amy Holman, Leanna Heffner, Davin Holen, Heather Stewart, and Chris Beck. 2017. “Promoting Coastal Resilience and Adaptation: A Synthesis from Four Regional Workshops in the Alaskan Arctic [in Prep.].” Anchorage, Alaska.
QUESTIONS? Photo: Flickr