Published

Climate-related changes in environmental conditions are challenging rural residents’ ability to traverse the land and access subsistence resources.
Credit: Miki Collins

Local residents observe that warming has changed the timing of freeze up, affected river ice thickness and melt, and has reduced winter travel safety and access to local ecosystem services. Wildfire reduces access to the land, threatens cultural and historic sites, and reduces wildlife densities for one to several decades (e.g. moose and caribou, respectively). Sources of resilience range from oral traditions and cooperative harvesting strategies to new technologies and network sharing.

 

Learn more

  1. Brinkman, TJ et al. 2016. Arctic communities perceive climate impacts on access as a critical challenge to availability of subsistence resources. Climatic Change. doi: 10.1007/s10584-016-1819-6

Contact

Roger Ruess
rwruess@alaska.edu

Posted:  July 15, 2020