Perspectives of Indigenous harvesters and agency staff on subsistence management in Alaska national parks

Alaska Natives discuss Indigenous approaches to harvesting at a community meeting.

John Chase

The subsistence harvest of animals and plants—that is, harvest for survival or continuation of cultural traditions—is critical to Alaska Native peoples for nutritional, cultural, social, and spiritual benefits. Management of subsistence harvest occurs under state and federal regulations; however, a long history of Alaska Native stewardship precedes the current management system and continues today. We interviewed Alaska Native harvesters in Northwest Alaska and National Park Service (NPS) staff who manage subsistence resources statewide to better understand the perspectives of each and perceptions about: (1) the communication and relationships between these two groups; and (2) barriers to, and solutions for, improving subsistence management.

We found areas of agreement for improving subsistence management within NPS including pairing the different types of knowledge held by Indigenous harvesters and non-Indigenous federal agency staff, addressing barriers to Indigenous stewardship within NPS, enhancing community engagement and communication, and making the public process for discussing and changing subsistence regulations more accessible. Specific strategies for improving management within the NPS include hiring local and Indigenous staff in NPS management, reducing NPS staff turnover, and increasing NPS in-person visits to rural Alaskan villages. Additional funding and staff support would help NPS accomplish these goals. Harvesters also described the deep power imbalances that have occurred through colonization and remain embedded within the current management system. They discussed the desire to increase Indigenous stewardship practices outside the federal and state systems and paths forward for Indigenous self-determination. This research amplifies Indigenous-led pathways for conservation in National Parklands and highlights the importance of addressing issues of power, equity, and sovereignty in the management of shared resources.

Source: Plain Language Summary: Perspectives of Indigenous harvesters and agency staff on subsistence management in Alaska national parks – Relational Thinking (relationalthinkingblog.com)

Pathways to subsistence management in Alaska national parks: Perspectives of harvesters and agency staff

Abstract

1. Alaska Native peoples rely on harvest of animals and plants for cultural, nutritional, social and spiritual benefits. Contemporary management of these resources occurs under state and federal regulations; however, a long history of Indigenous stewardship precedes Western management systems and continues today. To illuminate the areas of compatibility and divergence among Indigenous and Western management systems, we examined multiple perspectives on subsistence management in Western Arctic National Parklands through interviews and focus group discussions with Indigenous (Iñupiat) communities and National Park Service (NPS) staff members in Alaska, USA.

2. We examined perceptions about (1) communication and relationships between subsistence harvesters and NPS staff and (2) barriers to, and solutions for, improving subsistence management. We find various pathways to improving subsistence management from within the NPS structure that were shared between harvesters and management staff including addressing bureaucratic barriers and institutional structures, engaging the public in formal regulatory processes, enhancing community engagement and informal communication pathways, and bridging Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific knowledge systems.

3. Pathways described by both harvesters and agency staff for improving management within the current governance system included fostering local and Indigenous representation in NPS management, minimizing NPS staff turnover, and changing the frequency and style of NPS engagement, especially through in-person visits to rural villages. NPS staff described the need for increased funding, allocation of time and personnel to facilitate more outreach in villages; such shifts may help mitigate some of the perceived challenges associated with agency responsiveness to harvester needs.

4. Harvesters and agency staff also discussed ways to perpetuate Indigenous stewardship practices outside of the federal (and state) governance systems. Advocating for self-determination and sovereignty over resource stewardship was the most prevalent theme from harvester interviews. Harvesters discussed power asymmetries that are embedded in the current management system and paths forward for Indigenous self-determination.

Green, K. M., A. H. Beaudreau, M. K. Lukin, and N. M. Ardoin. 2022. Pathways to subsistence management in Alaska national parks: Perspectives of harvesters and agency staff. People and Nature 4(6): 1664-1678.