A Canadian arctic science network is backing 13 local research projects with $9.3M in funding, it announced on Wednesday.
The projects span everything from hunting to eye health to research.
“These projects reflect the priorities identified by the North for the North through our committees,” Pierre Bilodeau, chief executive officer of ArcticNet, said in a statement.
“This ensures that research is grounded in Indigenous knowledge, values, and decision-making.”
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- Belugas: The Nunavik project will look to better incorporate traditional knowledge into beluga management
- Health Care: Inuit workers in Baker Lake, Nunavut, will be trained to use AI to help screen for a diabetes-related eye condition that can cause blindness if not identified early
- Caribou: Yellowknives Dene First Nation knowledge will be integrated into research on the decline and conservation of the Bathurst caribou herd
The 13 projects all include Indigenous community members in important positions like co-ordination, management and instruction, with the funding going directly to the relevant northern research bodies or organizations.
Bilodeau said this approach lays the groundwork for increasing resources for northern communities to lead and direct their own research based on their communities’ specific needs.
“By investing in this work, we are helping support research capacity in the North while supporting stronger, more informed decisions for the future,” he said.
The funding will be distributed through ArcticNet’s North by North program.
The initiative was set up in 2019 to ensure northern residents had a say in setting the research agenda in their regions.
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: VIDEO-How indigenous knowledge is changing what we know about the Arctic, Eye on the Arctic
Sweden: Dead salmon in northern Sweden are worrying researchers and fishermen, Radio Sweden
United States: Indigenous wildfire knowledge to be key part of new Arctic Council project, Eye on the Arctic
