Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters
Background. Indigenous residents of Alaska’s Bering Strait Region depend, both culturally and nutritionally, on ice seal and walrus harvests. Currently, climate change and resultant increases in marine industrial development threaten these species and the cultures that depend on them. Obj...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:da399225440e477c8fb7883d4704511f 2023-05-15T15:14:44+02:00 Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters Lily Gadamus 2013-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20715 https://doaj.org/article/da399225440e477c8fb7883d4704511f EN eng Taylor & Francis Group http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/download/20715/pdf_1 https://doaj.org/toc/2242-3982 doi:10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20715 2242-3982 https://doaj.org/article/da399225440e477c8fb7883d4704511f International Journal of Circumpolar Health, Vol 72, Iss 0, Pp 1-7 (2013) qualitative methods climate change adaptation vulnerability food security indigenous Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 article 2013 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20715 2022-12-31T00:46:56Z Background. Indigenous residents of Alaska’s Bering Strait Region depend, both culturally and nutritionally, on ice seal and walrus harvests. Currently, climate change and resultant increases in marine industrial development threaten these species and the cultures that depend on them. Objective. To document: (a) local descriptions of the importance of marine mammal hunting; (b) traditional methods for determining if harvested marine mammals are safe to consume; and (c) marine mammal outcomes that would have adverse effects on community health, the perceived causes of these outcomes, strategies for preventing these outcomes and community adaptations to outcomes that cannot be mitigated. Design. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 82 indigenous hunters and elders from the Bering Strait region. Standard qualitative analysis was conducted on interview transcripts, which were coded for both inductive and deductive codes. Responses describing marine mammal food safety and importance are presented using inductively generated categories. Responses describing negative marine mammal outcomes are presented in a vulnerability framework, which links human health outcomes to marine conditions. Results. Project participants perceived that shipping noise and pollution, as well as marine mammal food source depletion by industrial fishing, posed the greatest threats to marine mammal hunting traditions. Proposed adaptations primarily fell into 2 categories: (a) greater tribal influence over marine policy; and (b) documentation of traditional knowledge for local use. This paper presents 1 example of documenting traditional knowledge as an adaptation strategy: traditional methods for determining if marine mammal food is safe to eat. Conclusions. Participant recommendations indicate that 1 strategy to promote rural Alaskan adaptation to climate change is to better incorporate local knowledge and values into decision-making processes. Participant interest in documenting traditional knowledge for ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Bering Strait Circumpolar Health Climate change Human health International Journal of Circumpolar Health Alaska walrus* Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Bering Strait International Journal of Circumpolar Health 72 1 20715 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
qualitative methods climate change adaptation vulnerability food security indigenous Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 |
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qualitative methods climate change adaptation vulnerability food security indigenous Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Lily Gadamus Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
topic_facet |
qualitative methods climate change adaptation vulnerability food security indigenous Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 |
description |
Background. Indigenous residents of Alaska’s Bering Strait Region depend, both culturally and nutritionally, on ice seal and walrus harvests. Currently, climate change and resultant increases in marine industrial development threaten these species and the cultures that depend on them. Objective. To document: (a) local descriptions of the importance of marine mammal hunting; (b) traditional methods for determining if harvested marine mammals are safe to consume; and (c) marine mammal outcomes that would have adverse effects on community health, the perceived causes of these outcomes, strategies for preventing these outcomes and community adaptations to outcomes that cannot be mitigated. Design. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 82 indigenous hunters and elders from the Bering Strait region. Standard qualitative analysis was conducted on interview transcripts, which were coded for both inductive and deductive codes. Responses describing marine mammal food safety and importance are presented using inductively generated categories. Responses describing negative marine mammal outcomes are presented in a vulnerability framework, which links human health outcomes to marine conditions. Results. Project participants perceived that shipping noise and pollution, as well as marine mammal food source depletion by industrial fishing, posed the greatest threats to marine mammal hunting traditions. Proposed adaptations primarily fell into 2 categories: (a) greater tribal influence over marine policy; and (b) documentation of traditional knowledge for local use. This paper presents 1 example of documenting traditional knowledge as an adaptation strategy: traditional methods for determining if marine mammal food is safe to eat. Conclusions. Participant recommendations indicate that 1 strategy to promote rural Alaskan adaptation to climate change is to better incorporate local knowledge and values into decision-making processes. Participant interest in documenting traditional knowledge for ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lily Gadamus |
author_facet |
Lily Gadamus |
author_sort |
Lily Gadamus |
title |
Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
title_short |
Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
title_full |
Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
title_fullStr |
Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
title_full_unstemmed |
Linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
title_sort |
linkages between human health and ocean health: a participatory climate change vulnerability assessment for marine mammal harvesters |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis Group |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20715 https://doaj.org/article/da399225440e477c8fb7883d4704511f |
geographic |
Arctic Bering Strait |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Bering Strait |
genre |
Arctic Bering Strait Circumpolar Health Climate change Human health International Journal of Circumpolar Health Alaska walrus* |
genre_facet |
Arctic Bering Strait Circumpolar Health Climate change Human health International Journal of Circumpolar Health Alaska walrus* |
op_source |
International Journal of Circumpolar Health, Vol 72, Iss 0, Pp 1-7 (2013) |
op_relation |
http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/download/20715/pdf_1 https://doaj.org/toc/2242-3982 doi:10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20715 2242-3982 https://doaj.org/article/da399225440e477c8fb7883d4704511f |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20715 |
container_title |
International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
container_volume |
72 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
20715 |
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1766345159563280384 |