pdf An assessment of community based monitoring in the Arctic Popular

Simone Gress Hansen
University of Copenhagen

the study is done in cooperation with:
NORDECO - Nordic Agency for Development and Ecology (Denmark)
Snowchange Cooperative (Finland)

This poster presents the results of my thesis work within community based monitoring (CBM) in the Arctic. I have performed fieldwork alongside the first ever Saami led restoration project in Finland, conducted an assessment of the characteristics of Arctic CBM programmes and analyzed CBM data from a “best-example” case study from Greenland, in order to conclude:

1. What are the general characteristics of Arctic CBM programmes?
2. What are the most distinguishing features of CBM compared to scientific monitoring?
3. Is there a difference in the format and the results between CBM data and scientific data?

This study fits into the congress as it aims to promote interdisciplinary discussions to improve Arctic environmental monitoring and advocate for the use of CBM. The poster fits into the theme “Improving knowledge and public awareness”

Besides answering the above, this study concludes that CBM can provide strengthened reliable environmental monitoring, novel discoveries and information that are directly relevant for managers while also making a significant difference in the communities. However, in order to obtain the full potential of CBM it requires researchers to be able to work with various knowledge systems, adapting new interdisciplinary methods and establishing equity and mutual trust.