REGULADORES DEL PROCESO DE IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE LAS NIIF

Interviews were conducted with academics and anthropologists with a history of working with indigenous communities, but not with the communities themselves. Therefore, the findings related to indigenous communities do not necessarily reflect the interests of those communities, and any future research following this pilot study will need to ensure that these perspectives are included directly.

While a history of extractive Western research approaches and subsequent feelings of “research fatigue” may have eroded trust among some Northern and indigenous communities in the Arctic, deep and meaningful engagement with communities remains a critical component of

collaborative scientific research in the Arctic. As indicated in the issues section of this paper, some interviewees cited an East-West gradient of openness to engage with external research efforts among communities, wherein Eastern Canadian and Greenlandic communities are seen as being less open to collaboration and more focused on preserving their traditional way of life. Despite these perceptions, an opportunity exists to design a Baffin Bay DBO that not only engages local communities from the inception of the project, but frames the observing mission based on research questions that directly incorporate feedback or scientific priorities from the communities. One interviewee with firsthand experience living and working in Canadian indigenous communities stated that,

I think what they feel like is they get approached for a whole lot of separate projects that are not necessarily framed in a way that makes sense to them or that addresses their concerns...for example, if someone is coming to community and saying “I would like input into an offshore observing project,” the community may feel like “Well, this is really late to be getting to my opinion; I’d rather researchers come and talk to me from the beginning and work on identifying common areas of interest for monitoring and observing.” So, I think there is a lot of nuance to the problem that is beyond the scope of any individual project, or might feel that way, so that can be a barrier to doing

engagement. – DBO12

Interviewees across roles are largely in agreement that a successful international collaborative endeavor in the Baffin Bay-Davis Strait area must strive to liaise with and work alongside Inuit research centers and other government entities in Nunavut and the surrounding area. While some Western scientists may default to a citizen science-based approach to community engagement based on familiarity, interviewees with community engagement experience argue that citizen science is certainly not the only method of participation for indigenous groups, nor is it the best option in many cases. Early engagement and involvement with project design is strongly encouraged, as are opportunities for community members to actively participate in data collection – but only if they are interested in the research questions being pursued and the

implications of research findings for community interests. Furthermore, opportunities must be made for the communities to provide feedback based on shared scientific findings that are well- translated, meaningful, and accessible (see section 3.2). As articulated by an interviewee familiar with the engagement process,

I do think [citizen science] is the first place that scientists go because it’s a familiar model, and it’s the citizen science model where you go, “Oh yeah, right, maybe

community members can help me with data collection.” And that's sort of not really what Arctic residents have in mind. Certainly, some people might be interested in doing that, but, overall, I think there is a much bigger underlying criticism of science going on that says that science really needs to be useful to Northerners. If researchers want to do research in the North, they should be reorienting the way they’re shaping their projects and their research questions so they’re really reflecting what people who live there need and want to see and understand. And not every project is going to be able to do that and there will always be scientific research questions that are really about science that is taking place in the North, but I think that’s what communities are wanting and expecting is a bigger reorientation of how research is done. – DBO12

In order to facilitate this level of engagement with communities, researchers must work with the governance bodies and institutions responsible for managing research requests (e.g., the Nunavut Research Institute) through appropriate communication channels. This interviewee goes on to say that the level of engagement desired among Northern communities requires not only significant effort and resources from groups leading investigations, but also reliance on large regional institutions that can help researchers navigate the engagement process.

I think outreach and interaction at the community level does become important, but then you also need to really rely on those larger scale institutions to help navigate the best and most respectful ways of going about those kinds of consultations. – DBO12

The planning phase of a Baffin Bay DBO represents a key opportunity to not only engage with Northern communities in a way that is both inclusive and meaningful, but also to demonstrate on behalf of the scientific community an appropriate and diplomatic approach to research inquiry in the Arctic. However; the need for engagement should not be perceived simply as an effort to

achieve “best practices” in Arctic research. Lack of community buy-in for a Baffin Bay DBO is effectively a non-starter, as the maritime region falls largely under indigenous jurisdiction.