Opportunities for Observations in Support of Indigenous Food Systems in the Coastal Alaskan Walrus Ecosystem

Abstract:

Climate change disproportionately affects Native Alaskan communities in ways that impede Indigenous subsistence lifestyles and systems. In particular, sea ice along the coast of Alaska has become thinner, shorter-lived, and unpredictable which threatens the animals that depend on it, like the walrus, as well as subsistence hunters who are forced to change their traditional practices. Western scientific observations could be used to complement Indigenous Knowledge to mitigate these challenges. Indigenous groups and communities have created a framework, in their approach to food security/sovereignty, that can be used to assess how ongoing scientific observations could contribute to community needs.

This presentation uses the subsistence walrus hunt as a case study to show how existing datasets can help address these challenges: walrus populations are struggling in Alaska due to the changing sea ice season and hunters are struggling with increasingly dangerous conditions. The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO), a tool through the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS), coalates sea ice and weather forecasts as they relate to walrus hunting. These reports include data from Native Alaskan sea ice experts and the National Weather Service. We investigate the SIWO and additional sources of relevant observations in the context of the food security framework. This case study describes an aspect of food security/sovereignty in Alaska that reflects the challenges as well as potential pathways to mitigation and restoration through community-derived research priorities.