Qualitative Participatory Mapping of Seal and Walrus Harvest and Habitat Areas: Documenting Indigenous Knowledge, Preserving Local Values, and Discouraging Map Misuse

In the Bering Strait region of Alaska decreasing sea ice and increasing development are driving environmental and policy changes that significantly impact federally recognized tribes, which depend on marine resources for cultural, economic, and nutritional reasons. Kawerak, Inc., an Alaska Native non-profit tribal consortium, conducted participatory ice seal and walrus harvest and habitat mapping in collaboration with nine of the region's federally recognized tribes. Participants were concerned that maps could misrepresent marine mammal mobility, limit future harvest area flexibility, increase outside regulation of harvest activities, generate conflict between communities, and attract commercial activity. This paper addresses these concerns through a technique called qualitative participatory mapping, which preserves local voices and priorities. This technique helped communicate and convey respect for traditional knowledge while lowering the probability of map misuse or misinterpretation. This work evaluated project results in terms of Elwood's dimensions of empowerment, which indicated the largest gain in capacity building, and more moderate gains for procedural and distributional empowerment.