In coastal Alaska, changes in snow, ice, and extreme weather events threaten human communities, critical infrastructure, valuable natural resources, and traditional, subsistence hunting and fishing lifestyles. Understanding how changing climate conditions impact Alaska’s coastal ecosystems, and how these changes may be tied to the ability of coastal communities to adapt to changing conditions, has been identified as a priority question in the state.
In order to identify knowledge gaps and resource needs related to adaptation and resilience in coastal Alaska, the Alaska Climate Science Center partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, and a dozen other entities to hold a series of workshops in communities across coastal Alaska in 2016. These workshops brought together resource managers, tribal leaders, community planners, and scientists from tribes, state agencies, and federal agencies, with the goal of advancing coastal resilience and adaptation across the region.
This project will build on the workshop series and will be a joint effort between the CSC, the Aleutian and Bering Sea Islands Landscape Conservation Cooperative, the Aleut International Association, and the National Park Service. This group work work together to (1) produce maps of key subsistence harvest areas and other important socioeconomic information in the Aleutian Islands; (2) engage local decision-makers to collect input on key information needs; and (3) support community-based monitoring efforts that contribute to adaptation in the region. Together, these efforts are aimed at ensuring that local decision-makers in the Aleutian and Bering Sea Islands have the information and tools they need to implement effective adaptation plans in their coastal communities.
