Walrus harvest locations reflect adaptation: a contribution from a community-based observation network in the Bering Sea

Abstract

The Bering Sea Sub-Network, a Community-Based Observation Network, was initiated to improve knowledge of environmental changes occurring in the Bering Sea and to enable scientists, Arctic communities and governments to predict, plan and respond. Climate change can affect the health of the social-ecological system of Indigenous communities through negative effects to travel and changes to biological resources used for subsistence. Harvesters are perceptive of, and often have multigenerational knowledge about, the environmental conditions which subsistence activities are dependent upon. Community monitoring can detect local level environmental changes, and provide society with examples of adaptation strategies. Semi-structured interviews, with a participatory mapping component, were used to collect data on marine subsistence activity in Indigenous communities bordering the Bering Sea, in the Russian Federation and Alaska, USA. Spatial data allow exploration of human responses to change over time. In the Yup'ik village of Togiak, Alaska a shift has occurred in recent years in where residents harvest walrus, while seasonal regulations remain static. This may cause residents to travel farther in more dangerous conditions. The co-management system in place could be an effective forum to deal with change as it was structured to incorporate local input in adaptive management.