Research project The project aims to support collaborative governance for the recovery of a diverse Atlantic salmon complex, with a special emphasis on developing population-specific, target-based assessments of diverse salmon stocks in a multicultural setting that values Indigenous and local knowledge and rights.
The goal is to connect different knowledge systems in support of recovering the salmon population in the Teno River. The natural science contribution is to integrate long-term monitoring data on salmon populations with the traditional and local knowledge of the salmon and the river. The social science contribution is to support social planning in the region as traditional Sami fishing, tourist fishing and other activities will have to be reconsidered. The project will generate interdisciplinary advice to design efficient and socially robust planning and management methods.
Bjärstig is responsible for the social science part of the project. The overall goal is there to produce a first-generation participatory planning model for collaboration in salmon management in the Teno region and advise on its applicability to existing and emerging collaborations in Teno-management. More precisely, the Integrative Framework for Collaborative Governance (IFCG) will be used to examine: a) how the existing and potential new collaborations in the Teno region support cohesion, exploit development potentials, manage trade-offs and provide legitimate pathways in planning for sustainable salmon management, and b ) the ability to establish long-term collaborations that are transdisciplinary and generate management structures to ensure sustainable and socially acceptable salmon management in the Teno region. Bjärstig will contribute with her solid experience of collaboration in planning and practitioner-related research with co-creation of knowledge together with local actors. Colleagues from Norway and Finland are responsible for the implementation of four different workshops locally, while Bjärstig as a neutral third part is planning and structuring the format for collaboration and the overall design of the participatory process. Bjärstig is also responsible for doing a literature review and synthesis of previous studies, policy and planning documents where relevant conservation and recovery plans will be examined through the IFCG theoretical framework, to see how they can feed into the work in the Teno region. Bjärstig is also primarily responsible for developing a first-generation participatory planning model for the Teno region with a focus on the recovery of salmon in the area.
