The role of wildlife harvest in Arctic biodiversity conservation

Date/time: December 4, 15:00-16:30

Room: Utsikten

Session organizer: Henry Huntington, Pew Charitable Trust

Arctic peoples are hunters, fishers, herders, and gatherers, providing livelihoods as well as cultural vitality. Hunting and fishing also attract tourists to the Arctic, bringing revenues and, potentially, increased motivation for conserving the health of the species and populations that are hunted and fished. But consumptive use of wildlife can also reduce populations and lead to conflicts among user groups. This session will examine cases in which these divergent paths have been encountered, as well as ways in which harvest and conservation can reinforce each other.  

• Chief Michael Stickman Arctic Athabaskan Council and Annette Stickman, College of Charleston:  Managing salmon and food security across Yukon river drainage communities
• Hans Meltofte, Aarhus University: Hunting and tourism  in Greenland: conflict or mutual benefit?
• Jesper Madsen, Aarhus University:  Adaptive harvest management of the Svalbard pink-footed goose population
• Julia Newth, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust:  Addressing the illegal shooting of Bewick's Swans in Arctic Russia

Session theme: Understanding cumulative effects and managing impacts