Summary of the Action:
The ITEK knowledge synthesis could take the form of an infographic or a series of infographics and could be shared on the Polar Bear Range States (PBRS) website. This will allow the Heads of Delegations (HoDs) and other Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP) Operating Teams and Working Groups (WG) to use what ITEK is available when undertaking their activities and actions. The knowledge synthesis may also help the HoDs identify gaps in ITEK of polar bears, which could in turn inform coordination and planning of research and monitoring.
Action Lead:
Participants:
The PBRS and invited specialists of the ITEK Working Group (see here)
Duration of action:
November 2023 - October 2025
Deliverables/ output:
D1: Knowledge synthesis infographic or a series of infographics.
Status December 2025: Two infographics were completed in November and December 2025.
These infographics provide a visual overview of the ‘Indigenous knowledge in integrated population models’ (IK in IPMs) project, a collaborative effort in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and Alaska to bridge Indigenous knowledge and science toward an improved understanding of polar bear population status. The project was initiated in response to a 2019 Inuvialuit-Inupiat Joint Commission recommendation to develop methods to bring Inuvialuit and Inupiat knowledge together with western science to estimate polar bear abundance. There are three phases to the IK in IPMs project. First, Stephen Braund and Associates developed a methodological framework for bringing Indigenous knowledge into a polar bear integrated population model. Second, building off of their methodological framework, Stephen Braund and Associates developed methods to document Inuvialuit and Inupiat knowledge of Southern and Northern Beaufort Sea polar bears, matching the spatial and temporal extent of scientific surveys as closely as possible. Workshops were held in 2022 in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and 2025 in Alaska. The third phase of the project implements the methods developed in phase one and applies the knowledge gathered in phase two, to build an IPM that bridges Indigenous knowledge and science. The two infographics depict elements of this work:
- A summary of the 2022 Inuvialuit knowledge gathering workshop held in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
- A visual summary of how partners are will bridge Indigenous knowledge and science into the IPM to estimate polar bear abundance.
The outcomes of this project are expected to be considered, along with other lines of evidence, in the ongoing adaptive management of Southern and Northern Beaufort Sea polar bears. The infographics were developed by the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope), Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT), and the Inuvialuit Game Council.
Milestones:
M1: Draft deliverable presented to HoDs. Final deliverable presented to HoDs by end of two year 2023-2025 CAP implementation period (2025).
Mechanism of completion:
Deliverable will be presented to HoDs (2025). May be considered for online publication.