Traditional knowledge of Arctic communities: how to progress on climate change adaptation policies?

A recent paper illustrates how the effects of climate change threaten biodiversity, local economies, and social and cultural systems in the Arctic, leading in some cases to displacements and complex relocation processes of native coastal communities.

In this work, the authors review the level of involvement of Arctic indigenous peoples in international governance structures and propose traditional knowledge as a relevant source of knowledge for science and policy-making processes.

According to the paper, the representation of indigenous peoples in international governance bodies does not guarantee that traditional knowledge is taken into account in policy making, since this kind of knowledge is not fully recognised as a valid source of information by some relevant scientific bodies.