Abstract
Rapid changes in the natural and social environments of the Arctic region have led to increased scientific presence across the Arctic. Simultaneously, the importance of involving local Indigenous peoples in research activities is increasingly recognized for several reasons, including knowledge sharing and sustainable development. This study explores Arctic early career researchers’ (ECRs) perceptions on involving local Indigenous peoples in their research. The results, based on 108 online survey respondents from 22 countries, show that ECRs value the knowledge of local Indigenous peoples and generally wish to extend the involvement of this group in their research. ECRs in North America and in the social sciences have more experience working with Indigenous communities and value it more than researchers in the Nordic area and in the natural sciences. Respondents cited more funding, networking opportunities, and time as the main needs for increasing collaborations. The results of this study are helpful for developing strategies to build good relationships between scientists and Indigenous peoples and for increasing the involvement of Arctic Indigenous peoples in science and engagement of their knowledge systems. The complementary views from Arctic Indigenous peoples are, however, needed for a full understanding of how to effectively achieve this.
Highlights
Following rapid climatic and environmental changes, Arctic areas have experienced an increased presence of scientists during the past few decades (e.g., ACIA 2004; Larsen et al 2014)
The knowledge of and observations by Arctic Indigenous peoples have been increasingly valued by scientists over the past couple of decades, subjects related to Indigenous knowledge are not usually taught to university students and young scientists (e.g., Huntington 2011)
Career Arctic researchers are interested in increased involvement of local Indigenous peoples in their research, as indicated by the results of this survey
Summary
Following rapid climatic and environmental changes, Arctic areas have experienced an increased presence of scientists during the past few decades (e.g., ACIA 2004; Larsen et al 2014) These environmental changes have far-reaching consequences for people living in the Arctic and beyond, especially for Indigenous peoples who are often highly dependent on their local ecosystems (Arctic Council 2013). The knowledge of and observations by Arctic Indigenous peoples have been increasingly valued by scientists over the past couple of decades, subjects related to Indigenous knowledge are not usually taught to university students and young scientists (e.g., Huntington 2011) This suggests that scientists and Indigenous peoples could both benefit from working closer together around Arctic environmental and societal change issues. Such collaborations are not easy to implement because of factors such as cultural and geographical differences (e.g., Mistry and Berardi 2016)
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