The purpose of this joint workshop is to foster the exchange of expertise on Arctic issues and to assist our colleagues in laying the groundwork for Japan to positively contribute to addresing the challenges in the Arctic in both the social and natural sciences. The Borders in Globalization research program conducts extensive research on borders in the north. The Arctic region is currently attracting growing interest as a subject of study.
Our colleagues from Hokkaido University are launching the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project to explore solutions for global issues stemming from recent environmental changes in the Arctic, through comprehensive and integrated research on the region. This research will be conducted with the explicit intention of contributing towards the sustainable development and conservation of the Arctic. Such an agenda demands the mobilization of expertise in many different fields and their cooperation.
Workshop Agenda
10:00 Welcome
Helen Landsdowne, Associate Director, Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (UVic)
Naomi Chi (Hokkaido University)
10:15 Session 1 Social Sciences Approaches to the Arctic
Heather Nicol (Trent University): The Arctic Council and the Arctic States
Fujio Ohnishi (Nihon University): Japan’s policy toward the Arctic
Gail Fondahl (University of Northern British Columbia): Agenda setting for arctic social sciences research: IASC, AHDR-II, and AC's SDWG
Ted Boyle (Kyushu University): Arctic Borders in Asia
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Session 2 Natural Sciences Approaches to the Arctic
Terry Prowse (University of Victoria) The Arctic Freshwater Synthesis
Yuuki Watanabe (National Institute of Polar Research) Biodiversity study in the Arctic ecosystems
14:30 Concluding Remarks
