Executive Summary

The concept of “Community Conserved Areas ” (CCAs) is new to the circumpolar Arctic. It is largely unknown among indigenous organizations, local communities, academics, government and others working in nature conservation and management in the Arctic. Most indigenous people do not conceive of their...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Michael A. D. Ferguson, Katja Viventsova
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.508.8410
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/arctic_cca_study.pdf
Description
Summary:The concept of “Community Conserved Areas ” (CCAs) is new to the circumpolar Arctic. It is largely unknown among indigenous organizations, local communities, academics, government and others working in nature conservation and management in the Arctic. Most indigenous people do not conceive of their ancestral areas in sub-divided parts that can be properly conserved as separate units. To maintain their indigenous lifestyles, they have utilized extensive land- and seascapes that include several interdependent ecosystems. The “southern ” concept of “protected areas ” does not readily fit into the knowledge systems of Arctic indigenous peoples. On the other hand, the concept of CCAs could be a useful tool for indigenous peoples in the Arctic by which they may gain government recognition of their traditional practices and governance systems. Several indigenous peoples have occupied the entire circumpolar Arctic, adapting to its harsh climatic characteristics in a variety of ways over a period of up to 10,000 years after continental ice sheets contracted northward. They modified the fundamental elements and processes of Arctic ecology very little compared to modern “southern”