A report from JCAR to inform the ICARP IV Process
Topic Area 5: Co-Production and Indigenous-led methodologies
25 February 2024
Prepared by Hiroyuki Enomoto
Arctic Environment Research Center, National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan
Contact: enomoto.hiroyuki@nipr.ac.jp
Japan Consortium for Arctic Environmental Research (JCAR) published “Long-term Plan for Arctic
Environmental Research (JCAR, 2024)” with its Executive Summary (JCAR, 2023) that includes
research priorities from viewpoints of Japanese Arctic research communities. Here, from the Executive
Summary (JCAR, 2023), we have extracted, edited, and added key elements related to “Topic Area 5:
Co-Production and Indigenous-led methodologies” of ICARP IV.
Summary of back-ground, current activities and gaps, and future recommendation:
Theme Ethnic Culture and Identity
There have been many field-based anthropological research on the indigenous peoples in theEurasian and American Arctic. They have been comprehensive, aligning with Western anthropologicaltheory while uncovering unique ethnographic insights. Research on the ethnic culture and identity ofindigenous peoples in the North American and Greenlandic Arctic regions have investigated topics
such as subsistence activities (hunting, fishing, and gathering), food sharing and distribution, humananimal relationships, rituals, religion, song and dance, and indigenous knowledge. In particular, theresearch has explored hybrid economic systems blending subsistence and market (wage-earning)
activities. Studies also examine the migration of Arctic indigenous people to cities and towns in theUSA, Canada, and Denmark due to economic globalization and their lifestyles in cities.
Further approaches:
Investigating the diverse impacts of social media usage on their societies is another vital research
topic. In contrast, primary research on indigenous Arctic peoples of the Eurasian continent includes
studies on residential patterns and ways of life, subsistence culture centering on reindeer herding,clothing, food, housing, their worldview, and spiritual culture. Many research studies have focused onreindeer herding, complex subsistence systems, and shamanism, among others. Some scholars explore
the dynamic of culture and permafrost related to Climate Change. However, little research has
investigated fishing, despite it being a critical food acquisition activity for these people. Studies in1both regions reveal commonalities, including the food cultures characterized by high protein and highfat intake, reciprocal relationships between humans and animals, and animistic worldviews. The
limited number of younger researchers specializing in Arctic indigenous research underscores theurgent need for worldwide recruitment and training.
Research priorities include:- Evaluating the Arctic commercial fishery and gas-oil industry’s influence on the traditional fisheryculture of the Eurasian Arctic.
- Conducting interdisciplinary anthropological studies on health science and environmental policy,
local health, and other issues related to waste management.
- Analyzing the transformation and re-interpretation of traditional culture in the context of social media
and youth culture.
- Examining indigenous and local societal changes, tourism, and migration in East Asia
- Investigating indigenous well-being and ethnicity related to war, conflicts, and collaboration.
Indigenous languages
It is necessary to recognize that the decline of indigenous languages is not only an issue for thecommunities that speak them but also a crisis for all of humanity. Engaging in the documentation,
preservation, and succession of indigenous languages as a stable, long-term project is essential.
The research priorities listed below have been highlighted for more than 20 years and are stillunresolved. Immediate action is needed to address these issues.
Research priorities:- Research and information sharing of unpublished materials: In addition to field research, there is anurgent need to survey and share unpublished materials stored in research institutions and researchers'
private archives (in Russia and Japan).
- Establish international research collaboration: It is essential to collaborate with Russian researchers
to investigate Russian materials.
- Construction of a digital archive: Since most of the audio and video materials collected in the past
have not been made public, opening these materials to the public as a digital archive to facilitate accessis necessary.
- Cooperation with indigenous communities: It is important to collaborate with community members,
train researchers from indigenous communities, and establish a system for language succession.
- Development of researchers: Developing researchers and providing them with stable employment isa critical issue to ensure long-term continued research.
Social sciences2

Politics
The nexus of indigenous peoples and governance: Indigenous peoples have been subject to bothstate inclusion and exclusion since the 18th century when colonialism reached the Arctic. Considering
this history, especially in the post-Cold War world, the symmetry between indigenous peoples and thestate, referred to as recognition, renewal, and reconciliation, has become the subject of debate.
However, limited empirical research exists on the policy implementation stage. The most fundamental
task is overcoming this status quo through empirical research using primary sources. We need tounravel our fixed-thinking attitudes, and searching for possible alternatives between indigenous
knowledge and scientific knowledge, and view them relationally.
Cross-cutting subjects
Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Movements
Indigenous peoples of the Arctic have become an integral part of policy decisions related to theArctic. For example, the six Arctic indigenous peoples’organizations are permanent participants at theArctic Council, a forum that seeks to promote cooperation, coordination, and interaction among Arctic
states on common Arctic issues, and have a significant influence on the Council's activities. It is
important to review the current state of research on rights and movements, who have become
nonnegligible actors in the Arctic, and further outline future research agenda.
The priority topics include:
First, the role played by Arctic indigenous peoples' organizations, particularly the Sami Council andthe Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), in the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the Rightsof Indigenous Peoples (hereinafter the UN Declaration), and in the establishment and practice ofinternational organizations related to indigenous peoples.
Second, studies in the field of cultural anthropology on how indigenous peoples, being most vulnerable
to the effects of climate change, have adapted to environmental changes by changing their culturesand means of living, etc. Furthermore, the research in the field of international law to examine thesignificance of the human rights approach to climate change in the context of the Paris Agreement andthe related UN meetings, advocated by indigenous peoples in the Arctic, and the role played by it.
Third, examine the process by which the Ainu people were officially recognized as indigenous, andthe "Ainu Policy Promotion Act" was enacted in Japan and how the UN Declaration is respected in
the international forest certification system. The developments regarding the recognition of the Ainu
people as an indigenous minority in the Russian Federation.
Research priorities:
・ In future studies, while paying attention to how the UN Declaration will be institutionalized andimplemented in the Arctic, it is necessary to review the possibilities and challenges of UN activities3

by indigenous peoples to date, and to study other Arctic indigenous groups besides the Sami and Inuit,that have not been focused on till date.
・ Future studies should clarify the Arctic’s uniqueness, through comparative research withindigenous peoples’ organizations around the world. They should also focus on the distinction between
local communities and indigenous peoples in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) regime.
・ For future studies, it is essential to build and expand research networks that can collaborate with
the Ainu, for making research fair to indigenous peoples.
Natural Resource Development and Adaptation to Disasters
In the Arctic region, human activities adapt to the various constraints of the cold environment, fromsubsistence use of the natural environment to the development of mining resources. However, thefoundation of these activities is being shaken from the ground up by catastrophic events associatedwith climatic and environmental changes progressing throughout the Arctic region. Adaptation of
resource development and livelihoods to environmental changes is in the phase of shifting awarenessand activity patterns that will lead to social implementation, requiring further accumulation of
integrated knowledge through interdisciplinary collaboration based on clarification of actualconditions and future projections.
The status of research and future long-term research strategies for the high priority and noteworthy
events.
(1) Changes in ground-bearing capacity for urban and settlement structures in permafrost zones:
Warming and thawing of permafrost, which is widely distributed in the Arctic region, reduces theground-bearing capacity of cities and infrastructure and causes significant damage due toheterogeneous subsidence of the terrain, making sustainable development difficult. Detecting
topographic displacement by satellites is effective in assessing the vast area, and analysis on thecircum-Arctic scale is necessary in conjunction with future projections of permafrost thawing.
(2) Coastal erosion and flooding: Coastal erosion in the Arctic Ocean and along the coasts of rivers
is progressing significantly due to sea ice reduction and permafrost thawing, and the actual situation
is being clarified on the circum-Arctic scale. Understanding of flood occurrence and damage is not
fully understood, and localized information on local communities is lacking. In the future, in addition
to wide-area assessments based on meteorological and oceanographic observations and satellite data
analysis, detailed collaborative research on the impacts on local communities about their livelihoods
will be necessary.
(3) Use of ice on rivers and lakes and its sustainability:

Rivers, lakes, and seawater surfaces thatfreeze in winter are used in various ways by human activities. Ice roads are a vital wintertransportation infrastructure, but engineering knowledge of their vulnerability to climate change4remains limited. In addition, changing traditional subsistence activities, such as winter under-ice
fishing, is an essential socio-cultural issue. These are considered research issues that should betreated as applications and practices of climate adaptation.
(4) Risks of environmental pollution and disasters associated with economic development:
Environmental pollution accompanies resource development in the Arctic region and has thepotential for a wide range of impacts due to accidental incidents. Combined pollution and disasters
can significantly impact the very survival and livelihoods of the inhabitants, including indigenous
peoples, who use the surrounding natural environment. There are still few examples of studies onenvironmental pollution and disaster risk, and integrated studies are needed on the relationshipbetween environmental conservation and possible disasters in economic development and accident
response.
Research Priorities with-

A combined satellite remote sensing and field verification study of changes in the ground-bearing

capacity of urban and settlement structures in the permafrost zone-

Study on coastal erosion and riverine flooding by estimating erosion rates and flood impacts

around settlements.
-Engineering assessment and social anthropological research on the use and sustainability of riverand lake ice concerning the duration and intensity of its availability.
-Research on the risk of environmental pollution and disasters associated with economicdevelopment, including assessment of disaster occurrence and pollution spread and its impact on
indigenous peoples' use of natural resources.
Living environment and security - Changes in the Arctic environment for people living there Rapid warming and environmental changes in the Arctic region are demanding changes in the livesof people who have long lived in the region by adapting and utilizing the environment. These drasticchanges are also creating various social problems in the region. There are challenges of Arctic
environmental change from the perspective of the people living in the Arctic.
"Food": Issues related to food in the Arctic region, including issues related to fisheries, livestock
and agriculture as industries, as well as those related to "food sovereignty", as the unique systems andcultures of Arctic residents and indigenous peoples. The distribution and abundance of fish species
and marine mammals in the oceans, as well as those in terrestrial vegetation and riverine fisheries,
have undergone drastic changes in recent years, with direct implications for the food industry and thediets of indigenous people. The multifaceted study and analysis of possible countermeasures is of great
importance as a future cross-disciplinary research topic.
"Water Resources and Water Use": The state of water resources in the Arctic environment, and the5different forms of water use and the impact of environmental change on them. It was pointed out thatthe annual precipitation in the Arctic region is similar to that in the semi-arid region. The water
resources are mainly secured by snowfall and river water (ice) in the cold season. From a social
anthropological perspective, there are different patterns of water use adapted to each region of theArctic. The impact of recent warming and permafrost degradation on water resources is an importantresearch issue from a hydro-climatological perspective, and comparisons in terms of indigenous
knowledge, history and culture are crucial for the sustainability of water resources and water use underclimate change.
"Pollutants and health effects": Pollution specific to the Arctic region and the most pressing issues,
including plastics. Although international regulatory efforts are underway in some areas, the lack ofobservational data is still a problem, and much research is needed, including an assessment of humanhealth risks. It is suggested that pollution and health issues to be included in the future research topics
in combination with various environmental studies. It is necessary to design research studies that meetthe needs of the region, including methods for releasing and sharing data.
Cross-cutting: Summary and Implications
The Arctic is at the forefront of environmental change due to rapidly rising temperatures; it is alsoa region where approximately four million people, including indigenous peoples, live. Inevitably, thevarious impacts of changes in the natural environment on human society are the subject of research.
Arctic research has focused on themes that delve into each subdivided research field. In addition, theArctic research based often for study on global warming led to a heavier focus on Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-oriented research themes. In recent years, however, Arctic
scientific community has recruited, promoted, and encouraged cross-disciplinary research. The resultsof these efforts are gradually emerging.
With regards to the future of Arctic research, three types of efforts are required. The first is tocontinue ongoing efforts to gather information and examine the impacts of various internal (domestic)
and external changes. Examples include the role of UN activities and international norms on
indigenous rights and movements, climate change, UNFCCC and their impacts on indigenousorganizations, the Ainu Policy Promotion Act of 2019 as well as the UN Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples.
The second necessary effort is to fulfill information and knowledge gaps. There are people withAinu ethnic identity in Russia but our knowledge of them is limited. We can consider building research
networks that enable cooperation with Ainu people in Japan and abroad. Our knowledge of winterroads engineering has not kept pace with the development of transport infrastructure with regards to
ice roads in the Arctic. In collecting data, the authors call for closer cooperation with residents andcareful consideration in selecting target areas of study. This is particularly the case with the ground6

bearing capacity of structures in cities and settlements in the permafrost zone.
The third type of effort required is to further improve the transdisciplinary, comprehensive aspectof Arctic research. The practice of trans-disciplinarity is essential in understanding environmental
security, including pollution, food, and other scarce resources like water in the Arctic. Overall, alldiscussions expressed concerns about recent changes in the international political situation, which has
distorted international research exchanges and may have long-term consequences. Last but not least,
the significance of gender should be mainstreamed throughout the Arctic research.
Observation and research centers
It is necessary to collaborate with the local community from the research planning stage, while
taking into consideration the local community. In the Arctic region, where many people live, there isa need for researchers to deepen their expertise based on their academic interests, as well as toaccumulate diverse expertise on social issues and conduct observations and surveys with consideration
for the local community. The formation of overseas observation centers in the future will require
collaboration not only among researchers and research institutions, but also in consideration of thelocal communities.
Submitted together with:
JCAR (2023): Executive Summary of Long-term Plan for Arctic Environmental Research.
https://www.jcar.org/longterm/executive_summary20240109.pdf
References:
Japan Consortium for Arctic Environmental Research (2023). Executive Summary of Long-term Planfor Arctic Environmental Research.
Japan Consortium for Arctic Environmental Research (2024). Long-term Plan for Arctic
Environmental Research. [in Japanese]7