Developing tools for resiliency planning in Southeast Alaska
Synthesizing OA information and engaging local knowledge to enhance the efficiency of resiliency planning in southeast Alaska
Why we care
In Southeast Alaska, rural communities rely heavily on marine resources. Community members’ subsistence, food security, economic activity, and cultural well-being are all dependent on the marine environment. A team comprising representatives from Tribes, Alaska Sea Grant, agencies, and local organizations, as well as academic researchers, will collaborate with rural communities, Tribes, and commercial fishing organizations to develop decision-support tools for resiliency planning. These tools include maps and models that will combine data on ocean acidification, wild harvest use areas, and economic dynamics.
Principal Investigator(s):
Hekia Bodwitch (University of Alaska Southeast), Davin Holen (Alaska Sea Grant and University of Alaska, Fairbanks), Kari Lanphier
Fiscal Year Funded:
What we will do
The team will collect and share research in ways that communities, Tribes, and commercial fishing organizations can use for essential resiliency planning. Researchers will first synthesize information on ocean acidification and other environmental changes as well as marine resource harvests. Traditional and local knowledge holders will interpret this information and identify potential resiliency strategies that support Tribal data sovereignty and protect sensitive information. The team will work with communities to co-develop processes for sharing synthesized information that enable harvesters and decision-makers to assess potential vulnerability and resiliency to changing ocean conditions. This co-development will occur in part through workshops with Tribes and commercial fishing groups, facilitated by the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research consortium (SEATOR) and Alaska Sea Grant. Products will include maps and Socio-Ecological System models that illustrate stressors on marine and coastal resources, as well as potential resilience and adaptive strategies.
Collaborative Partnerships to Strengthen Resilience in Southeast Alaska
Resilience in Southeast Alaska depends on collaboration, a core component of this project. This project will work directly with community and Tribal members throughout the region. Tribes throughout Southeast Alaska have been leading the way in sampling for OA in the nearshore environment. Our project will synthesis those long term data sets into regional maps that can be directly used by harvesters in the marine environment to track shifting ocean trends. In addition, we are facilitating community workshops and partnering with Tribes, local fishing organizations, and community members to spark group conversations and build capacity for knowledge exchange. Products developed from these conversations will be provided directly to subsistence users and the communities as a tool in building resilience. We are also supporting commercial fishing organizations throughout the region in strengthening their ability to observe and respond to changing ocean conditions. Together, these efforts will create a regional understanding of OA and enable the sharing of knowledge to build stronger community resilience and adaptation planning.
Principal Investigators
Hekia Bodwitch, University of Alaska Southeast
Davin Holen, Alaska Sea Grant and University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Kari Lanphier, Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research Consortium (SEATOR)
Advisory Committee
Reuben Cash, Skagway Traditional Council (STC), Skagway
Lindsey Pierce, Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (T&H), Juneau
Linda Behnken, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Sitka
Collaborators
Simone Alin, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Darcy Dugan, AK Ocean Acidification Network, AK Ocean Observing System
Tom Hurst, NOAA Alaska Fishery Science Center
Esther Kennedy, University of Alaska Southeast
Natalie Monacci, University of Alaska Fairbanks, CFOS
Annika Ord, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center