The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will award up to USD 1 million (EUR 949,000) on seven projects designed to advance climate resiliency in remote Alaskan communities.
The funding will be distributed through the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Indigenous Engagement Program, which awards competitive grants for projects supporting “collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders.”
NOAA Fisheries said the projects it selected will strengthen collaboration with Tribal governments and Indigenous communities and advance the agency’s ability to support climate resilience and food security in remote communities.
“We are excited to support these important research projects, which advance equity and environmental justice while enabling NOAA Fisheries to meet our research mission,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said in a statement “NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to building climate resilience in communities on the front lines of climate change in the Arctic, and Indigenous knowledge is essential to this effort.”
The funding will be spread across seven multi-year projects, including:
- USD 89,000 (EUR 84,000) for the University of Alaska Fairbanks to facilitate knowledge-sharing workshops and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into NOAA Fisheries’ management of marine resources;
- USD 99,000 (EUR 94,000) to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to elevate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in ice seal co-management and recovery planning for ringed and bearded seals;
- USD 110,000 (EUR 104,000) to the Sealaska Heritage Institute to use Indigenous knowledge to document how changes in the oceanographic processes and marine ecosystems effect subsistence resource systems for Native communities in Southeast Alaska;
- USD 67,000 (EUR 64,000) to the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska to add a relationship-building and knowledge-sharing component to the Southeast Tribal Environmental Forum.
- USD 54,000 (EUR 51,000) to the Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association to implement a network of river water monitoring stations along the lower Yukon River to collect data for salmon management;
- USD 47,000 (EUR 45,000) to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to work with Indigenous partners to build their use of environmental DNA as a resource management tool; and
- USD 34,000 (EUR 32,000) to Kawerak and the Caleb Scholars Program for an annual gathering for program participants to “share insights related to conservation advocacy and facilitate engagement with peers, mentors, guest speakers and members of the community.”
The first year of funding totals approximately USD 500,000 (EUR 474,000), according to NOAA Fisheries, and will be distributed in the coming months.
Funding for the projects was allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act, which dedicated USD 3.3 billion (EUR 3.1 billion) to improving climate resiliency in the U.S.
“This investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will expand NOAA’s efforts to create new partnerships, internships, and educational opportunities in remote communities across Alaska to help address the impacts of climate change, ensure just treatment and respect from tribal sovereignty, and provide climate resiliency benefits across all communities,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.
