Online workshop 2: Recognizing Local and Indigenous Knowledge

Description: We are pleased to invite you to the second CAP-SHARE workshop, which will be led by the University of Lapland and will focus on Recognizing Local and Indigenous Knowledge.
The discussions will cover regionally adaptable models and activities related to nature, biodiversity, and sustainable development, as well as social and cultural knowledge-sharing models. This session will explore the value of co-creation with local knowledge holders in the Nordic and Arctic regions, with a special emphasis on intergenerational knowledge, the Arctic ecosystem, and Sámi perspectives. We will highlight how collaboration fosters understanding and promotes sustainable practices.

Discussion questions:

1. How could discussions about biodiversity be implemented at the local level?
2. How should intergenerational aspects be taken into account in biodiversity discussions?

Full list of speakers:
Niila-Juhán Valkeapää is the Vice-Chair of the Sámi Parliament's Youth Council and an active advocate for Sámi rights. The Youth Council operates under the Sámi Parliament and works to promote the position of Sámi youth in Finland. Valkeapää has been actively involved in issues concerning Indigenous rights and the green transition, bringing a youth perspective to these pressing topics. His topic is: Perspectives of Sámi Youth on the Green Transition and Its Impact on Nature and Livelihoods.

Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä is a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lapland. She is working in the Reconceptualizing Boundaries Together Towards Resilient and Just Arctic Future(s) (REBOUND) project, funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) under the Research Council of Finland and as a project manager in the CAP-SHARE Interreg NPA project. Her presentation is: Intergenerational aspects in just green transition in Northern Finland.

Stéphanie C. Lefrère works as a Sustainable Development Expert for the Municipality of Sodankylä. She holds a PhD from the University of Sorbonne, Paris, where she studied reindeer behavior and ethnozoology from 1999 to 2003 in the Finnish part of Sápmi. She is also the author of the exhibition "Climate Change in Lapland's Nature - What Can We Do?" Her presentation title is: Sustainable Actions in Sodankylä, Finnish Lapland.

Theresa Henke is currently finishing up her PhD at the University of Iceland which she will defend early next month. In her PhD she looked at the establishment of alien European flounder (Platichthys flesus) in Icelandic waters with a focus on human dimensions and stakeholder involvement. In September 2024, she started a postdoctoral research position at the EEZA-CSIC in Almeria, Spain, where she will continue her research on human dimensions of biological invasions.