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Wolves and Gold: Adap/ng to Climate Change and Industrial Development in Sakha Republic, Siberia, Russia
Dr. Trevor K. Fuller, SUNY Oneonta Department of Geography; Drs. Antonina Savvinova and Viktoria Filippova, North Eastern Federal University
Introduc/on • Human Geography
• Indigenous popula/on • Evenk • Yakutsk (pop. ~280,000)
• Natural Resources • Diamonds, gold, iron, oil/gas • ~20% of Russia’s gold • ~50% of Russia’s diamonds • ‘Rare Earth Minerals’
• Kha/styr Village, Sakha Republic • Popula/on = 1,600 • Subsistence lifestyle • Fisheries, Hun/ng, Reindeer Herding • Timber industry
Objec/ves • Preliminary field research to gather Evenk percep/ons of climate change and whether/how local villagers have implemented adap/ve strategies in dealing with local-‐scale climate adjustments.
• Assess Evenk responses, strategies, and coping mechanisms regarding the industrializa/on of their homeland.
Methodology Open-‐ended interviews were conducted with a snowball scenario whereby villagers r e c omm e n d e d o t h e r p o t e n / a l par/cipants. A total My colleagues from North Eastern Federa l Univers i ty conducted preliminary fieldwork and established contacts in July 2014. In September 2014 we visited residents of Kha/styr village. Interviewees included the village mayor, the cultural ac/vi/es coordinator, as well as several residents. In addi/on to open-‐ended interviews, a survey was also distributed to residents. Ques/ons revolved around industrial development and observa/ons regarding climate change in the region.
Findings Residents spoke more oden of issues with industrial develoment rather than climate change specifically. While some residents spoke of increased flooding frequency and intensity., more residents had a nega/ve percep/on of industrial development in the region. In both 1998 and 2001 the Aldan River flooded much of the low-‐lying areas. This fostered the development of a ‘new village’ for Kha/styr residents further upland from the village’s exis/ng site. However, financing for this reloca/on program have run out. Also, reindeer herds have been affected by lower amount of snowfall which allows for greater preda/on by wolves. Fisheries have been impacted according to residents. Addi/onally, residents reported that the area has been even colder in recent years with increased winds. Recently, gold mining industries are contes/ng legal rights to land management currently held by Evenk people.
Conclusion Preliminary inves/ga/on revealed some residents held percep/ons that more recent changes in weather palerns are related to climate change. The town has worked with the Russian government to relocate a por/on of the ‘old village’ residents to the more elevated ‘new village’. The Evenk tribe has secured an unprecedented legal recogni/on by the Russian government. The document includes a map delinea/ng the area of land over which the Evenk tribe has legal claim. It remains to be seen whether the Russian government (and industry) will recognize its legal rights. Con/nued research is needed to monitor future adap/ve strategies as well as the legal claim of Evenk people to their land. However, a preliminary finding is that residents are more concerned about changes induced by local industrial development than by larger-‐scale climate change.
Acknowledgments SUNY Oneonta Faculty Research Grant from Grants Development Office at SUNY Oneonta Residents of Kha/styr Village for their hospitality North Eastern Federal University
Sakha Republic is 1/6 of Russia’s land area.
The Aldan River flows into the Lena River, one of Russia’s largest rivers
“It is necessary to obtain permission to enter through the territory of the pipeline” (resident)
“Last year I lost ¼ of my reindeer herd to wolves” (resident).
If it were an independent country, Sakha Republic would be the 8th largest country in the world.
The Aldan River flows into the Lena River, one of Russia’s largest rivers
The laws do not protect us. Industrial enterprises, prospecting cooperatives cheat, they take our reindeer meat but do not pay the money (resident).