ALTER-NetA Long-Term Biodiversity, Ecosystem And

Awareness Research Network

ALTER-Net first period (2004 -2009) financed by the EC’s Sixth Framework Programme

AIM: develop durable integration of biodiversity research capacity at a European level.

THROUGH integration of:

• institutions and their researchers;

• environmental and socio-economic research;

• scientist to investigate long-term biodiversity processes;

• science and communication; science and policy

Network of Long-term Ecosystem

Research sites(LTER)

4 overarching goals4 overarching goals

InstitutionalInstitutionalintegrationintegration

Communication & Knowledge transfer

20082008

ALTER-Net is about:

Inter-disciplinary Research &Common Research Strategies

The ALTER-Net Partnership24 organisations in 17 European countries

24 institutes 17 European countries

>500 scientists

ALTER-Net 2004-2009

Results ALTER-Net 2004-2009

Establishment of ”Europe’s Long-Term Ecosystem Research

and monitoring network” (LTER-Europe) linked with ILTER

(global network)

ALTER-Net introduced the concept of

“European LTSER platforms”

Terrestrial LTER sites Marine reference and focal sites Natural sciencecollections

The LIFE WATCH architecture

Enabling and

acceleration

of data

generation

Analytical and Modelling tools

Data management

Ontologies for metadata

Data integrationand

interoperability

Interoperabletool repository

Grid workflowmanagement

SpecializedUser portals

Service Center

Portalinterface

Construction Phase 2009-2015

LifeWatch: Bringing the Community Together To Deliver Data and InformationAn ESFRI project on e-Science and Technology Infrastructure for biodiversity data and observatories

ALTER-Net founder member of LifeWatch

ALTER-Net and awareness – communication tools

for society and politicians/managers

• Website (www.alter-net.info)

•Cooperation between scientist

and nature information centres (musea, zoos etc)

• Interactive web discussions; News and Views

• IPCB (Intern Press Centre for Biodiversity)

Training and Development: the ALTER-Net Summer School

Training the next generation of scientists, resource managers and policy makers in inter-disciplinary approaches

200620072008200920102011

ALTER-Net and training

ALTER-Net 2009-2012

• 22 institutes from the first ALTER-Net period support durable integration and further activities of ALTER-Net (cash contributions and in-kind)

• Secretariat of ALTER-Net from CEH to NINA with financial support from the Norwegian Science foundation and the Directorate for Nature Management

• From April 2009 – ALTER-Net continues without EU financial support → Long-term institutional integration

• During 2009: 2 new partners (IFF, EMU)

ALTER-Net 2009-2012

The ALTER-Net partnership24 partners – 18 countries

Aim ALTER-Net 2009-2012:

Further develop and promote durable integration of biodiversity research, monitoring and communication capacity at a European level

ALTER-Net continues to support:

ALTER-Net works closely together with:

New in ALTER-Net:

• 3 & 4 November 2010 – Conference on “Ecosystem services and biodiversity: what is the link between the two?”

• Strategic planning for engagement with IMOSEB / IPBES

• A second European multi-site Experiment (decomposition and climate)

New research integration opportunities:• Mobility fund

• New Research Initiative fund

Thus ….. BECOME MEMBER OF OUR WEBSITE • Latest news on biodiversity (interdisciplinary) research

• Conferences, workshops, meetings

• Vacancies

• Funding opportunities

JOINwww.alter-net.info

and becomemember of our website

Integration of traditional and scientific knowledge in human-wildlife conflict management

Fylke ÅrAntall

søknader

Sluppet Tapt Erstattet

Beløp

Sau Lam Sau Lam Sau Lam

Hele landet 2009 2399 218287 370950 12381 49470 7120 27356 75466809

Fylke ÅrAntall sau/lam erstattet, fordelt på skadevolder

Gaupe Jerv Bjørn Ulv Kongeørn Uspes

Hele landet 2009 10152 9793 6955 1759 1361 4456

± 9 mil €600.000 60.000

Reindeer (04.2008-03.2009): 80.000 animals lost,

20.000 compensated = 57 mil NOK = ± 6,5 mil €

Sheep (half June – half Sept 2009):

A nightmaresummer forsheep farmers!

Wolverine in a changing world(2003-2008)

Persistent & inherent

A reproducing female wolverineis the one to blame for lamb depredation!

No it is not only her!There more to it!

No way! A reproducing female wolverineis the one to blame for lamb depredation!

Oh well, I might as well become ALTER-Net coordinator!

Questions I had preparing this talk:

- What can TEK contribute?

- What can SEK contribute?

- TEK versus LEK

- Can TEK, LEK and SEK meet?

- How can we use TEK, LEK and SEK in human-wildlife conflicts?

-Where are we and how far have we come anyway?

→ Change in thinking

Acknowledgement

Figures and photos:

- Frode Nyhagen & T. Vihovde- Raymond Sørensen- Arne Nyaas- Einar Ese- Per Jordhøy & Olav Strand- Bård Bredesen

- Edith Södergran. 2007. Människan och fauna. Etnobiologi i Sverige 3.

TEK:The knowledge and insights acquired through extensive observation of an area or species. This may include knowledge passed down in an oral tradition, or shared among users of a resource. The holders of TEK need not be indigenous (Huntington, 2000).

A cumulative body of knowledge, practice, and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment (Berkes et al 2000).

LEK:Systematic, based on observation and analysis, very extensive, imminently practical, and relevant to the management of resources”; “used by local resource users, and communities of resource users, to enhancesustainable resource use” (Feit, 1998).

Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Government of Canada passed the Species at Risk Act (SARA, 2004?)

The Swedish government decision (2005)

The Norwegian nature diversity law (2009)

§ 1. (lovens formål)Lovens formål er at naturen med dens biologiske, landskapsmessige og

geologiske mangfold og økologiske prosesser tas vare på ved bærekraftig bruk og vern, også slik at den gir grunnlag for menneskenes virksomhet, kultur, helse og trivsel, nå og i fremtiden, også som grunnlag for samisk kultur.

§ 8. (kunnskapsgrunnlaget)Offentlige beslutninger som berører naturmangfoldet skal så langt det er rimelig

bygge på vitenskapelig kunnskap om arters bestandssituasjon, naturtypers utbredelse og økologiske tilstand, samt effekten av påvirkninger. Kravet til kunnskapsgrunnlaget skal stå i et rimelig forhold til sakens karakter og risiko for skade på naturmangfoldet.

Myndighetene skal videre legge vekt på kunnskap som er basert pågenerasjoners erfaringer gjennom bruk av og samspill med naturen, herunder slik samisk bruk, og som kan bidra til bærekraftig bruk og vern av naturmangfoldet.

LOV 2009-06-19 nr 100: Lov om forvaltning av naturens mangfold (naturmangfoldloven)

Benefits of TEK:-Significant amounts of knowledge on the environment held by local people

-The inherent characteristics of the knowledge

-Often based on empirical observations of the surrounding environment

-TEK is often described as historic, providing long-term data over specific areas

-It can also provide annual information in places where scientific studies are limited

What do we find in history?

“Use” is the central driver of therelationship between human and wildlife

Knowledge is a necessityto adequate “use” ofwildlife

Saami mytologi (150-900 AD)

Hate and conflicts

The historical perspectiveof human-wildlifeconflicts

Domestication processLand use changes (abrupt loss of TEK!)

Care and sorrow

Guarding your flock

“Challenges and Implications ofUsing ATK for Species Conservation:a Case Study of Northern CanadaWolverines” by Nathan Cardinal, 2004.

Results:-extremely descriptive and detailed, more than currently available- the information provides for a longer timeline of data thancurrently available

Much of the information obtained from participants supports and agrees with previous scientific studies on denning, diets, home ranges of wolverines, dispersal, foraging behaviour and wolf predation

The way to go

- Recognize TEK and LEK as another source of information to

better our understanding of species, and consequently

improve our decision-making and management for that

species

- Recognize those who own the information rather than see

them as users of the information

- Take benefit; comparing sources of knowledge at similar

temporal and spatial scales allows us to gain confidence in

our conclusions and to identify areas of disagreement that

should be studied further

- DEVELOP METHODS FOR SYSTEMATIC COLLECTION OF

TEK/LEK

Combining SEK, TEK and LEK can not only build

partnership and community consensus,

but also, and more importantly,

allow local sheep farmers / reindeer herders

users to critically evaluate scientific predictions

on their own terms and test / using their own

forms of adaptive management.

Yep it will work!!!!.....

…..or…….

…..well….

…..no?…..

Thank youJiska van Dijk, ALTER-Net coordinator