Fieldwork in Kalaallit Nunaat and Iceland Begins – Tailoring Research to Local Needs
ICEBERG’s fieldwork in Iceland starts this week, followed by a week of fieldwork in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). The main objective of these two field study periods is to meet local stakeholders and Indigenous rightsholders and develop the project together with them through community consultations. Locals can also get to engage in different activities, such as trying the time-lapse cameras and drones that are used in the research.
In addition to the ongoing fieldwork in Svalbard, ICEBERG conducts fieldwork also in Iceland and Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). In Iceland, the fieldwork will be conducted in two locations, Akureyri and Húsavik. In Kalaallit Nunaat, there will be three locations, Qaqortoq, Narsaq and Nanortalik.
In Iceland, ICEBERG conducts research in Akureyri and Húsavik.
The fieldwork in Iceland starts this week and lasts until August 27. Right after that follows the Kalaallit Nunaat fieldwork, which lasts until September 3. Preparations have been made: schedules planned, posters printed and research gear packed.
– We are really looking forward to this first fieldwork and excited to meet with the communities, to exchange, to forge partnerships that will be guiding and shaping the direction of our research, says Thora Herrmann, the Project Scientific Coordinator of ICEBERG.
Getting the local people involved
The main objective of these two field study periods is to meet as many stakeholders, such as representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as possible and develop the project together with them. The core of this objective is the community consultation meetings held in the research locations.
– We hope to meet all kinds of people from fishermen to tourism entrepreneurs and from elderly to young people. Our main expectation is that we get the people on board, says Élise Lépy, the Project Manager of ICEBERG.
– The aim is to listen to the concerns, needs and priorities and insights of the people who live in these regions, to understand what matters most to them, and discuss the project’s objectives together and adjust our research questions so that the project is reflective of the local needs and aligned with communities’ interests, adds Herrmann.
Drones, soil samples and releasing of the community monitoring platform
As a part of the consultation meetings, interested locals can also get to engage in different activities, such as trying the time-lapse cameras that are used in research. One of ICEBERG’s partner organizations, SciDrones, is also going to present how they monitor ocean litter with drones and the locals can try the drones.
In parallel with the community consultation meetings in Iceland, other teams will collect soil samples.
The ICEBERG community-based pollution monitoring platform will also be released after the consultation meetings in Iceland and Kalaallit Nunaat. The platform is an interactive, open source mapping tool, where local residents can leave their observations, such as pictures of marine litter they encounter on beaches.
ICEBERG conducts research in three locations in Southern Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). These locations are Qaqortoq, Narsaq and Nanortalik.
– This platform serves as both, a tool for local co-researchers to actively participate in litter monitoring, and as a forum for community exchange, enabling communities in different locations to share experiences, knowledge and practices with each other, describes Herrmann.
The platform will also be shared on the ICEBERG website soon for everyone to see.
Stay tuned for more information
There is more content to come regarding the community pollution monitoring platform and the ICEBERG fieldwork in Kalaallit Nunaat and Iceland. To stay tuned, follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to get the updates to your own email.
