Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018

Rovaniemi, Finland - October 2018

So happy to be writing today from Arctic Finland where I am currently celebrating my birthday at the Arctic Biodiversity Congress in Rovaniemi. I have recently taken on a role a Fulbright-NSF Arctic Research Fellow at the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group on biodiversity, so I am here at their conference in Finland to share my thoughts on how we can partner Indigenous knowledge and science in the development of conservation plans. I was invited to convene the session with a mentor from Alaska on the topic of co-production, and we were able to bring ourselves, two researchers, and one industry representative to talk about the role of co-production in research and decision-making. My slides can be found here.

As this is my first time in Scandinavia, I have been very excited to meet more Sámi, the Indigenous people of Scandinavia who are known for their traditional livelihoods centered around reindeer herding and coastal fishing. My personal interest has always been there as my family in Alaska was taught how to herd reindeer over a hundred years ago by a program that brought Indigenous reindeer herders from Scandinavia and Russia.