Nancarrow Tanya L, Chan Hing M
McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Rural Remote Health. 2010 Apr-Jun;10(2):1370. Epub 2010 Jun 18.
Inuit from communities across the Arctic are still existing in subsistence living. Hunting, fishing and gathering is an important part of the culture and the harvested 'country food' provides sources of nutrients invaluable to maintaining the health of the populations. However, Inuit are voicing their concerns on how observed climate change is impacting on their traditional life. The objective of this study was to report on observed climate changes and how they affect the country food harvest in two communities in the Canadian Arctic. The nutritional implications of these changes are discussed and also how the communities need to plan for adaptations.
A total of 17 adult participants from Repulse Bay and Kugaaruk, Nunavut were invited to participate. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling methods selecting the most knowledgeable community members for the study. Inuit Elders, hunters, processors of the animals, and other community members above the age of 18 years were selected for their knowledge of harvesting and the environment. Two-day bilingual focus groups using semi-directed, unstructured questions were held in each community to discuss perceived climate changes related to the access and availability of key species. Key topics of focus included ice, snow, weather, marine mammals, land mammals, fish, species ranges, migration patterns, and quality and quantity of animal populations. Maps were used to pinpoint harvesting locations. A qualitative analysis categorizing strategy was used for analysis of data. This strategy involves coding data in order to form themes and to allow for cross-comparison analysis between communities. Each major animal represented a category; other categories included land, sea, and weather. Results were verified by the participants and community leaders.
Three themes emerged from the observations: (1) ice/snow/water; (2) weather; and (3) changes in species. Climate change can affect the accessibility and availability of the key species of country foods including caribou, marine mammals, fish, birds and plants. Various observations on relationship between weather and population health and distributions of the animal/plant species were reported. While many of the observations were common between the two communities, many were community specific and inconsistent. Participants from both communities found that climate change was affecting the country food harvest in both positive and negative ways. Key nutrients that could be affected are protein, iron, zinc, n-3 fatty acids, selenium and vitamins D and A.
Community members from Repulse Bay and Kugaaruk have confirmed that climate change is affecting their traditional food system. Local and regional efforts are needed to plan for food security and health promotion in the region, and global actions are needed to slow down the process of climate change.
北极各地社区的因纽特人仍维持着自给自足的生活方式。狩猎、捕鱼和采集是他们文化的重要组成部分，收获的“乡村食物”为维持居民健康提供了极其宝贵的营养来源。然而，因纽特人对观察到的气候变化如何影响他们的传统生活表达了担忧。本研究的目的是报告观察到的气候变化及其对加拿大北极地区两个社区乡村食物收获的影响。讨论了这些变化的营养影响以及社区如何需要制定适应计划。
邀请了来自努纳武特地区雷普ulse湾和库加鲁克的总共17名成年参与者。采用目的抽样方法选择参与者，挑选出对该研究最了解情况的社区成员。因纽特长者、猎人、动物加工者以及其他18岁以上的社区成员因其对收获和环境的了解而被选中。在每个社区举行了为期两天的双语焦点小组讨论，使用半指导性、非结构化问题来讨论与关键物种的获取和可得性相关的感知气候变化。重点关注的关键主题包括冰、雪、天气、海洋哺乳动物、陆地哺乳动物、鱼类、物种分布范围、迁徙模式以及动物种群的质量和数量。使用地图来确定收获地点。采用定性分析分类策略对数据进行分析。该策略涉及对数据进行编码，以形成主题并允许在社区之间进行交叉比较分析。每个主要动物代表一个类别；其他类别包括陆地、海洋和天气。结果由参与者和社区领袖进行了核实。
观察结果出现了三个主题：（1）冰/雪/水；（2）天气；（3）物种变化。气候变化会影响乡村食物的关键物种的可达性和可得性，这些物种包括驯鹿、海洋哺乳动物、鱼类、鸟类和植物。报告了关于天气与人口健康以及动植物物种分布之间关系的各种观察结果。虽然两个社区的许多观察结果是共同的，但许多是特定于社区且不一致的。两个社区的参与者都发现气候变化对乡村食物收获产生了积极和消极的影响。可能受到影响的关键营养素包括蛋白质、铁、锌、n - 3脂肪酸、硒以及维生素D和A。
雷普ulse湾和库加鲁克的社区成员证实气候变化正在影响他们的传统食物系统。需要在地方和区域层面做出努力，以规划该地区的粮食安全和健康促进工作，并且需要全球行动来减缓气候变化进程。
