Antonina Savvinova

Department of Ecology and Geography, Institute of Natural science, North-Eastern federal university, Sava_73@mail.ru

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE MAPPING: FOLLOWING TRADITIONS - USING

TECHNOLOGIES

Structure of the lecture

1. Indigenous knowledge mapping: Why it’s important to use maps and GIS for study of Indigenous knowledge?

2. Mapping methodology generation of new information using indigenous knowledge

3. Features of creation of GIS using traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples of the North in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

4. Cartographic approach to decreasing territorial conflicts between indigenous people and industry in Sakha (Yakutia)

1. Indigenous knowledge mapping: Why it’s important to use maps and GIS for study of Indigenous knowledge?

indigenousmaps.com

indigenousmaps.com

indigenousmaps.com

indigenousmaps.com

indigenousmaps.com

indigenousmaps.com

2. MAPPING METHODOLOGY Generation of New Information using

Indigenous knowledge

Information about the real traditional land use territories and comparing these boundaries with an official land use boundaries

What is the difference between these two kinds of land use???

Official land use:

• Boundaries administered by the committee of Land Reform and Management

•Based on the results of scientific investigations from the Soviet period

• Generally indicate boundaries of land use established under the Soviet period state farms

Traditional land use:

• Information on aboriginal land use for the village level was acquired through interviews and especially mapping exercises with land users from the native communities

• The land use information focused on the location of traditional activities of aboriginal peoples : hunting, fishing, reindeer herding etc.

Base maps for each research area:

1:500 000 1:200 000(published in US) (published in Russia)

• Each respondent from the survey indicate his or her specific land use areas by sticky icons of animals.

• The method of mapping with gluing pre-prepared sticky icons aroused great interest among local residents.

• The use of such a technique has greatly intensified the mapping, accelerated their formation, increased their reliability.

Map created by Savvinova A.©

Comparison of traditional and official land use

Map created by Savvinova A.©

Совмещение ГИС-слоев «Официальное природопользование» и «Фактическое природопользование» на локальном уровне

Map created by Savvinova A.©

Maps created by Savvinova A.©v

GIS modelling approach

GIS Database

Landsat(remotesensing)

Digital topographic

maps

GIS(Open source)

Expeditions(Olekminsk region,

August 2016)

Expeditions(Aldan,

Neryungri regions,

May 2017)

Data Collecting

Data AnalysisCartography

Maps

3. Features of creation of GIS using traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples of the North in the Republic of

Sakha (Yakutia)

MAPPING LEVELS

• Republic level - current information on the number of settlements, size of indigenous population, native communities, etc. Focus on showing settlement and land use boundaries at different periods during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods

• District level - focus on the showing land use boundaries at different periods during the Soviet and post Soviet periods

• Village level - includes official and traditional land use boundaries

Example of a map at the republican level

Territories of traditional land useMineral resource mining areasTerritories of overlaps

Map created by Savvinova A.©

Example of a map Regional level(Pipeline crossing territories of tribal communities)

Map created by Savvinova A.©

GIS attributive data base of Tribal Communities

• Areas of traditional nature management

• Natural areas of preferential protection

• Mineral resources- geological prospecting works

- mining areas- mineral deposits

• Water objects- rivers- lakes- industrial waste waters sewage

locations

• Airspace pollution- air pollution- boundaries of polluted snow

cover- areas of the maximum pollution

Example of a map Local level

Map created by Savvinova A.©

CREATING 3D GIS - MODELS FOR ANALYSIS

OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF OIL SPILLS ALONG THE ROUTE OF THE

PIPELINE "EASTERN SIBERIA - PACIFIC OCEAN" THAT CROSSES THE TRIBAL

COMMUNITY TERRITORIES

4. CARTOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO DECREASING TERRITORIAL CONFLICTS BETWEEN INDIGNEOUS PEOPLE AND INDUSTRY

IN YAKUTIA

Types of conflicts:• Potential conflicts: those that threaten to develop if natural

resource use by Indigenous peoples is constrained due to industrial development in areas in a Specially Protected Territories.

• Existing conflicts: real controversies and confrontations between industrial developers and Indigenous people over types and volumes of resource extraction and related infrastructure development (e.g., mining, electric lines, roads, pipeline construction in the areas allocated to Indigenous peoples for traditional activities), as well as over compensation for damages and revenue sharing.

In some cases conflict can result from misunderstandings on the part of one or both of the parties (usually such situations arise from the lack of the awareness of one or both of the parties).

Specially Protected Natural Territory

“WWF-Sakha (Charuoda) Resource Reserve”, Olekminskiy County

• Charuoda Resource Reserve created in 1997, by SakhaGovernment

• Initial area = over 1.387 thousand ha.

– 18% designated as a «zone of absolute tranquility»

– 82% classified as a zone of traditional nature use, for indigenous inhabitants.

“Neryungri-Metallik” Company (Nord Gold Corporation)

“Tabornoe” and “Gross” sitesfrom GoogleMaps, 2016

View of the Mine “Tabornoe”http://www.eruda.ru/job/au/yakutia/neryungri_metallik_job.htm

• 2002: 28,850 ha removed from theReserve to allow Neryungri-Metallik to further explore goldreserves in the area of the“Tabornoe” deposit.

• 2009: additional 108 hectares, for construction of road to “Tabornoemine site.

• Area of specially protected nature territory decreased by almost 29 thousand hectares (2.1%).

Land Removed from Charuoda Resource Reserve for Gold Mining

The “Complex Development of South Yakutia” Investment Project — Transport Infrastructure

Railway Project Induces Further Removal of Lands from the Resource Reserve

• Resolution No. 255 of SakhaGovernment. 27 May 2010

• To implement federal and regional projects aimed at economic development (in this case by building the Ikabeykan-Tarrynakhskyy rail line), the boundaries of the "WWF-Sakha (Charuoda) Resource Reserve were further changed.

The projected railway line

Removed territory

Map created by Savvinova A.©

Changes to the Territory of the WWF-

Sakha (Charuoda) Resource Reserve

Initial Territory (1997) Territory Today (2017)

Maps created by Savvinova A.©

“Beke” Resource Reserve”

Location: Olenekskiy Evenki National County

Status: Specially Protected Nature Territory

(Republican Level)

Founded: 2002

Area: 1535564 ha. Map created by Filippova V. ©

“ALROSA”

View of the Mine “Verkhne-Munskoe”http://www.alrosa.ru

In 2011, ALROSA obtained a license for the right to use subsurface resources for the purpose of prospecting and mining diamonds at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit. The area

granted for industrial facilities at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit is 2,611 hectares.

Projected route to “Verkhne-Munskoe” deposit .

Constructed route to “Verkhne-Munskoe” deposit

Area removed for diamond miningMap created by Filippova V. ©

Conclusions:1) Conflict situations arising due to unsustainable use of natural

resources in the Southern Yakutia can be identified and classified through mapping

2) A series of specific maps of negative impacts and conflict situations in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) have been developed for the three levels: Republican, Regional (Southern Yakutia) and local (district) level

3) These maps demonstrate an integrated cartographic evaluation of the consequences of negative impacts and conflicts for the nature management in some regions of Yakutia.

4) The results of the study will facilitate the development of proposals and advice concerning how to address conflicts between industrial development and traditional land uses, and regarding programmes aimed at the socio-economic development of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North and for the protection of their traditional homelands.

Thank you for your attention!

Acknowledgements:

This research was supported by the

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

• Research Council of Norway