A - C
BSSN
Short Title: BSSN Project URL: http://www.arcticpeoples.org/key-issues/monitoring/ Proposal URL: http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=247 This project will create an infrastructure for monitoring and observation by the indigenous and other Arctic residents organizations based in the coastal communities of the Bering Sea region (BSR) including Bering Strait and adjacent Chukchi Sea. It will increase capacity and effectiveness of the circum-Arctic monitoring through responding to the need of the long-term collection of data in remote Arctic locations, in particularly, in BSR that was identified as a priority monitoring area by many scientists, e.g. by the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme of the Arctic Council. The project will use IPY as an impetus to consolidate current research and jump-start new cooperative activities between scientists, indigenous and other citizens groups from the North East Russia and Alaska, U.S. Whereas, the region is known for an international cooperative research in specific species management, e.g. Gray whales and Polar bear, efforts on creation of circum-Bering Sea research interface have not been successful due to political and logistical reasons. BSSN will work specifically with community-based/place based research and will attempt to integrate these efforts with broader scientific activities in the region and globally. BSSN will consist of community-based and/or international regional organizations, primarily indigenous. In addition to the international organization (AIA, ICC, CAFF, UNEP), the list of initial partners will include five Alaska Natives regional non-profit organizations, eight regional organizations in Chukotka and Kamchatka in Russia, Alaska Native Science Commission and University of Alaska. The Network will cooperate with other organizations, projects and scientists from the cluster projects. The initial program activities will be based on the existing and emerging research and monitoring projects implemented by its partners. Examples of potential monitoring targets related to climate change, biodiversity and human health: shift of southern species north, changes in distribution and abundance of fish and other temperature-sensitive species, change in ice patterns, weather observations, contaminants presence in environment and traditional foods, weather related accidents, occurrence of infectious diseases. The research activities that are currently undertaken in cooperation with scientists will continue in BSSN. This project will advance this work by scaling it up to the international level. It will create a system for sharing of the best practices of individual projects/organizations in the region and in the Arctic, will enable scientists to reach key areas in the region for collection of specific data and will improve standardized data management. The Network will employ the following principles: ecosystem approach BSSN has ecosystem boundaries and the collected data will help better understand relationships between various elements of ecosystem; openness and transparency based on defined structure and management; use of the best available knowledge - western science and expertise derived from traditional and indigenous knowledge will be utilized. Local and indigenous experts, recognized as such in their respective communities, will be offered an opportunity to work side-by-side with scientists contributing to generate hypotheses, analyze empirical data, develop and perform research activities where appropriate. The network will consist of organizations, not projects, to ensure sustainability and continuity. In 2006, BSSN will conduct a series of workshops to devise the Network management structure, logistics, memberships and means for sustainability. Work plans for activities assuring BSSN input to major IPY projects (CBMP, AHHI, and ESSAS via BEST and SEARCH, etc.) and output from independent thematic projects, e.g. ALISON, will be developed. A data management process will be established for the network. Alaska Native Science Commission and the University of Alaska will lead this work. The process will go through rigorous reviews by BSSN members and will conform to the standards/matrix developed by IPY data management services. Initial research activities may begin in 2006 with thematic observation systems based on current projects and will continue in 2007-08 with inclusion of new monitoring projects, e.g. invasive species or distribution of particular species. Such thematic networks could be developed for CBMP and other interested programs. The list of current projects includes: 1.) Oil spill monitoring, lead partner (LP) Aleutian Pribilof Island Association (APIA), funded; 2.) Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, LP Aleut International Association, funding pending; 3.) Shark distribution changes, LP APIA, funding pending; 4.)Traditional food safety, LP APIA; 5.) Polar bear and whale hunting projects of the Alaska Chukotka development Program