International Polar Year 2007-2008
To facilitate the submission of arctic social science and humanities proposals to the International Council for Science (ICSU) for prospective endorsement as IPY projects, IASSA has launched an initiative to create a vigorous exchange of ideas, discussion, and active communication. The following was submitted to IASSA on its form at IASSA IPY Facilitation Initiative:

J. Otto Habeck and Yulian Konstantinov: IFS-Kolm’yavr (Interdisciplinary Social-Science Field Stations in the Barents Region: Field Station 1 (NW Russia, Kola Peninsula, Kolm’yavr))
Email: habeck@eth.mpg.de

Description:
We propose the creation of an interdisciplinary social-science field station in the Barents Region (Kola Peninsula, NW Russia). The project is conceived as the pilot-phase (2006-2009) of a long-term effort, aiming at the creation of two more mobile (“nomadic”) field stations in the Barents Region in the period from 2009 to 2012. The mission of the projected network is to create permanent observation bases for monitoring processes of socio-economic and climate change in the Russian part of the Barents Region, and how these changes impact on indigenous peoples’ livelihoods.

In the pilot phase an Interdisciplinary Field Station (IFS) will be created as an extension of the existing Hydrometeorological Station “Kolm’yavr”, in the centre of the Kola Peninsula. In 2005 the initiators of this project (represented by the main applicant, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology) will jointly apply for financial support for the station’s creation and maintenance. During the project period social scientists from this and other institutes will pursue research projects, using IFS “Kolm’yavr” as a pivotal field research centre. Among these are other IPY project proposals (e.g. VERSO, MIDDLEMAN). Financial support for those projects will be sought separately. After the end of the project period in 2009, the station will be transferred into the property of the Field Research Group of the Kola North, a Russian NGO for social-science research registered in the Murmansk Region, with the condition that the station will be used for research activities in coordination and agreeement with the scientific coordinator on behalf of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (MPI).

IPY 2007-2008 themes/targets that will be addressed by the project:
Theme 1 – The current state of the polar environment
Theme 6 – The human dimension in polar regions

“Legacy” [creation of a permanent station for interdisciplinary social science/ environmental research benefiting the international research community as well as local stakeholders on Kola Peninsula]

Significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets:
(1) The foundation of a social-science field station shall be a pioneering approach in the study of the human dimension in the Russian Far North; (2) The station shall significantly increase the possibility of long-term monitoring of social/climate changes in an interdisciplinary way, and for the benefit of the local and international research and user community; (3) The station shall create possibilities for educational and research outreach through web-transmitted presentation of day-to-day research activities and results; (4) The station shall remain as a legacy of the IPY for the local and international research/user community.

Geographical location:
Interdisciplinary Social-Sciences Field Station – Kolm’yavr
NW Russia, Murmansk Region, Central Kola Peninsula, eastern bank of Lake Kolm’yavr (Kolmozero).

Approximate tiemframe for proposed field activities:
07/2006-06/2009
07-12/2006 – construction
01/ 2007–12/2008 – research activities
01/-06/2009 – transfer of property and legacy activities

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
New field station, snow terrain vehicles (snowmobiles)

Legacy of infrastructure:
Field station, transport, communications, computer/ web-site equipment

Plans concerning required logistic support:
Own support, plus
Other sources of support:
Logistic support for transportation of building materials, and the construction of the IFS shall be provided by the Municipality of Lovozero, the Reindeer Herding Cooperative “Tundra” of Lovozero, and the Field Research Group for the Kola North

The proposal has been preliminarily submitted to the German IPY Committee on 20 December 2004.

IFS-Kolm'yavr is a new autonomous proposal.

The proposal is informed by experience from a decade of research (1994-2004) with the reindeer herding community of the Kola Peninsula. This is a new project in the sense of proposing a long-term base for social research activities, with a clear legacy priority for researchers and users.

How the project will be organised and managed:
Management/ organisation are responsibilities of the scientific co-ordinator of the project (Y. Konstantinov on behalf of MPI) together with a Managing Board, which comprises local representatives (Hydrometeorological Head Office in Murmansk, Municipality of Lovozero, Reindeer Herding Cooperative “Tundra”). Cases of disagreement between managers are solicited by an Advisory Board, which comprises representatives of several academic institutions. Financial means will be administered by the MPI.

Initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues:
The IFS shall: (1) include in research activities students from Murmansk Pedagogical University and Professional School Nº 26 (Lovozero); (2) regularly relay progress of ongoing research via the World Wide Web; (3) involve the reindeer herders in research activities and present results to them by textual and video- documentary means.

Initial plans of the project to address data management issues:
Data is to be shared with the researchers/users community by daily transmission through the web-site of the project, operated from IFS-Kolm’yavr. Consolidated data will be stored at the Hydrometereological Head Office in Murmansk, the Kola Science Centre in Apatity, the MPI, and the University of Lapland (Arctic Centre).

Sincere thanks to the U.S. National Science Foundation for support for the IASSA IPY facilitation initiative.

Questions? Contact Anne Sudkamp at <fyiassa@uaf.edu>.

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 This page was last modified October 24, 2005 by Anne Sudkamp