CAFF Coastal Steering Meeting 2019
November 2019 - This week I sat in on a few working group meetings of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, namely the Coastal Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) steering group who are beginning to prepare for their assessment. Three other CBMP steering groups exist, including those focusing on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. The Coastal steering group is the newest and is the working group most interested in engaging with Indigenous communities and knowledge. I was very happy to sit in on the discussions!
Thanks to my role leading the Arctic Wetlands and Indigenous Peoples Study (AWIPS), I was invited to sit in on this meeting by the CAFF secretariat, with whom I have been actively trying to maintain ties despite having completed my fellowship a few months earlier. Two people I was very happy to have at the meeting include Carolina Behe, the Indigenous knowledge and science advisor for the Inuit Circumpolar Council (and sitting member of the CAFF Board), and Cyrus Harris, an Inuit hunter and researcher who is pioneering ways to prove seal oil meets US food quality standards so that it may be served in the elder-care facilities in Alaska. I am so very humbled by their work and dedication!
While I can’t share details, I am happy to report that the discussions were productive, that difficult conversations were had, and the tone of the group is hopeful and motivated to bring their best to the coastal assessment. I look forward to lots of good data, materials, and reports in the upcoming future.