Biocultural Heritage in Arctic Cities: Resource for Climate Adaptation – ARCA

The project explores the intricate relationship between climate change and biocultural heritage ? a holistic concept, emphasizing the entanglement of natural and cultural elements. The project aims to understand whether and how traditional ecological and Indigenous knowledge, as well as human-environment relationships, that constitute the core of biocultural heritage can contribute to climate change adaptation in urban areas and surrounding landscapes. Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and associated elements of biocultural heritage have been serving as critical resources for climate adaptation to generations of Arctic residents. Climate change processes threaten cultural and biological diversity, underscoring the urgency for adaptation and mitigation measures, especially in the Arctic that is changing four times faster than the rest of the world. Arctic cities and their associated subsistence landscapes that transform even faster emerge as interesting case studies for inquiries into the role of TEK and biocultural heritage in climate adaptation processes. Thus, the main research question of this project is, "How can biocultural heritage integrated into urban and natural landscapes contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts?"

Working with local and Indigenous communities in Fairbanks and Nome in the USA, and Kirkenes and Tromsø in Norway, the project will explore the potential of traditional knowledge and local land use practices as holistic and culturally sensitive tools for climate adaptation. The project team, consisting of social and natural scientists, artists and activists, will combine quantitative and qualitative methods of climate science, remote sensing, human geography, and social anthropology. The integration of scientific data with Indigenous long-term observations and artistic explorations should lead to publicly accessible, co-produced and place-specific arts and science products. Results of the project will also be published in academic articles, disseminated via online media, as well as through art+science exhibitions.