Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Monitoring of Development of Traditional Indigenous Land Use Areas in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Northwest Russia  (MODIL-NAO)

Outline
MODIL-NAO is a project, where an indigenous peoples’ organisation and a scientific institute will cooperate on equal terms. The project idea was initiated by the indigenous peoples’ association “Yasavey” of the Nenets Autonomnous Okrug (NAO, Northwestern Russia), who has documented numerous violations of Russian environmental law by oil companies on their traditional reindeer pasture lands. Reindeer pastures have been and are continually destroyed and polluted. To collect and make easily available data on this development, an Internet-based electronic GIS database and explanatory report showing these activities will be created. Data monitoring will use personal observations of “Yasavey” members, questioning of indigenous individuals in selected areas of the NAO, photo documentation, published data, inquiries at oil companies, satellite image surveying, etc. We also envisage cooperation with – and use of available data from – the Nenets Information and Analytical Center in the NAO. The resulting GIS map database to the scale of 1:1 mill. of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug will provide combined information on indigenous settlements and traditional land use areas, oil activities (drilling sites, pipelines, damaged tundra areas, spills, etc.), development of the situation through annual comparison. The database will use technical solutions which have been successfully used for other topics at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Such a database can be used towards management and authorities as a documentation of illegal actions, and towards oil companies for negotiations on compensation claims. At the same time, the project will train Yasavey’s staff in using GIS. The project can also function as a pilot project for other areas in the circumpolar North. Dependent on available funding, the project can be carried out as a one-year’s project, or a several years’ project in order to monitor annual changes of the situation. The least desirable length would be two years, 2007 and 2008, which would provide an indication of the annual development. This 2-years perspective is applied below. R

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
There are clear connections to Themes 1 and 2, because the project will describe the state of the environment and its change through human activities in an Arctic region. A linkage with the intended IPY project “RENNET” may result in quantitative analyses of environmental damage, and of social damage for the reindeer breeding communities. Theme 6 is clearly addressed: damages on reindeer pastures have significant negative impacts on the cultural and social development of the reindeer breeding peoples of the NAO. The project may initiate mitigating political actions to support cultural survival of the involved communities.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
A Russian indigenous peoples’ organisation and a Norwegian scientific institute will closely cooperate on equal terms. Cooperation with a regional Russian surveying institute (Nenets Information and Analytical Center) is also envisaged. An international network established under the intended IPY project “RENNET” will be used to evaluate results.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Northwestern Russia.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 01/2007 – 12/2008      (sporadically within these limits)      
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Commercial flights. Shared logistics with other activities of "Yasavey”

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
No

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Commercial operator
Own support

Logistics will mainly be coordinated with other activities of “Yasavey”. Additional helicopter flights to Nenets villages will be purchased from commercial operators. Ground transportation out of villages will possibly be purchased from local reindeer breeders.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The project was classified as “very interesting and important in IPY context” responding to a preliminary inquiry to the Norwegian National IPY Committee.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
New

New autonomous proposal, although using established contacts between the Nenets Association “Yasavey” and the Norwegian Polar Institute through the Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Network ANSIPRA (see http://npolar.no/ansipra).

How will the project be organised and managed?
Formal project management and contact towards the IPY system will be taken care of by the project leader at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI). Responsibilities are shared by NPI and “Yasavey”. A distribution of tasks has been worked out.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The project will produce an interactive GIS database accessible by the public through the Internet. The database will be acompanied by reports. Reports and maps will also be printed in English and Russian. Relevant stakeholders (indigenous peoples’ organisations, companies, authorities, scientific institutes) will be addressed directly with the results.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
This is roughly answered by # 3.3. It is pointed out that data management here is a joint task of an indigeous peoples’ organisation and a scientific institute. The accumulated data will preferentially be useful for the indigenous peoples’ community of the NAO and relevant authorities. Similar institutions in other regions may benefit from this in the future.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The project can hopefully be funded on a broad basis with contributions from funding agencies (e.g. Barents Secretariat), NGOs (e.g. WWF) and the political arena (e.g. Nordic Council of Ministrers). Preliminary steps have been take to investigate possibilities.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
The project idea is endorsed by RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North) and the Barents Secretariat.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Winfried Dallmann
Norwegian Polar Institute


NO-9296 Tromsø
Norway

Tel: +47 - 77750648
Mobile: no
Fax: +47 - 77750501
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation