Adaptation and mitigation to climate change in indigenous communities local examples from boreal Sweden and Canada

Transcription

1 Adaptation and mitigation to climate change in indigenous communities local examples from boreal Sweden and Canada J. Svensson, M. Johnston, P. Sandström, S. Carr & M. Stinnerbom Sami reindeer herders using snow mobiles, Vilhelmina, northwest Sweden

2 Climate change impact on traditional land use Reindeer husbandry Vilhelmina North Sámi district, northwest Sweden Beardy's And Okemasis First Nation traditional land use, Saskatchewan, Canada Transfer of knowledge between indigenous people and researchers Landscape and land use data accessibility and applicability Empowering communities Local guidelines Policy impact

3 Sweden case - reindeer husbandry Reindeer husbandry covers the northern half of Sweden, about km 2, on land that is simultaneously used for other purposes Organized in 51 autonomic districts Reindeer move over vast areas every year, sometimes 300 to 400 km distances each way

4 Data accessibility and applicability the local context a young, not yet active reindeer herder the climate may warm so much so that herding may no longer be carried out at the traditional lands or using traditional methods Winter temperatures +6-7 Summer temperature + 3 Precipitation % Precipitation during winter + 70% Snow cover days shorter Ice thaw days earlier

5 Data accessibility and applicability the local context Södersel snow depth cm Unfavorable snow conditions Date Södersel snow depth cm Favorable (normal) snow conditions Date

6 Empowering communities proof on reindeer movement in the landscape December 2006/2008 January 2007/ km 20 km February 2007/2009 March 2007/2009 April 2007/ km 20 km 20 km Reindeer movement 2006/07 and 2008/09, Vilhemina North Sámi district, northwest Sweden

7 Empowering communities proof on reindeer movement in the landscape Favorable snow conditions (normal) 20 km Unfavorable snow conditions Reindeer movement 2006/07 and 2008/09, Vilhemina North Sámi district, northwest Sweden

8 Empowering communities cumulative impacts from multiple land uses Proposed wind power parks Developed wind power park Hydro electric dam Reindeer core areas (blue) Village along highway Clearcut areas GPS-reindeer homeranges Reindeer key areas (red) Proposed harvest units (green)

9 Effects of climate change on traditional indigenous Sámi reindeer husbandry, e.g: Frequent hard snow less natural lichen grazing artificial feeding higher management costs Earlier snow melt more spread out movement of the herd increased vulnerability to predators Better grazing premises during early summer (calving) healthier reindeers Less snow beds and glaciers temperature stress, more insects, diseases and movement into neighboring districts and countries Late or no snow no ice on lakes more transporting increased trampling and soil disturbance conflicts with other land uses Profound challenges on the reindeer husbandry system. Need for local adaptation and mitigation Need for policy changes and knowledge about how land uses interact Need for better communication with other land users

10 Canada case Climate change impacts on community and land use on traditional First Nation land The island forests are key traditional land use areas for Beardy s and Okemansis First Nation for berry picking, hunting, medicinal plant gathering, etc.

11 Climate change impacts on traditional lands Expected increases in frequency and severity of forest fire and drought Potential for Mountain Pine Beetle infestation Flooding Will affect traditional forest use: berries, wildlife, NTFPs, cultural use Using forest landscape model LANDIS-II to generate scenarios and explore potential impacts on forests and traditional use Analyses combines indigenous knowledge and science Conceptual syntheses with Vilhelmina projects and other studies A focus on adaptation guidelines and on policy impacts Mountain Pine Beetle

12 Flooding risk Long history of spring floods due to changes in landscape (drainage, roads, railway) and downslope location Major impacts on community Road washouts House flooding Impaired emergency vehicle access loss of revenue from agricultural lands How will flood risk be affected by climate change? Using hydrological modeling to estimate change in flood risk Incorporate results into the community s disaster preparedness plan

13 Concluding remarks Work in progress Workshops with local communities Community members collect, store, retrieve and query data and maps on traditional land use, climate change impacts and landscape data Training in participatory GIS to secure local anchorage and implementation Adaptation and mitigation guidelines Involvement of local stakeholders Synergies with other land uses Research to generalize the results for other types of landscapes, land uses, etc Policy impacts The researcher-practitioner (indigenous knowledge and science) interface generates validity Problems and solutions are shared between regions and countries Policy need to be adaptive and flexible and based on local real life examples