Coastal SEES Collaborative Research: Apex predators, ecosystems and community sustainability (APECS) in coastal Alaska

人类控制或捕杀捕食者的历史由来已久，这导致这些动物种群中的许多被归类为受威胁、濒危或灭绝。最近重新引入的一些物种允许检查它们在生态系统中的作用、与人类发生冲突的可能性，以及未来人类和捕食者共存的可能策略。该项目将以阿拉斯加东南部的海獭为模型系统，结合生态学、经济学和阿拉斯加原住民的传统知识，更多地了解海洋捕食者在沿海可持续发展中的作用。在18世纪中期至1900年之间，阿拉斯加东南部的海獭因其极具价值的皮毛而被猎杀至灭绝。20世纪60年代，这些动物被重新引入该地区，它们的数量从大约400只增加到了25000多只。阿拉斯加东南部海獭的恢复为了解它们在沿海生态系统中的生态作用提供了机会，同时评估了它们与依赖沿海资源谋生的人的互动。由于水獭吃贝类，渔民和捕捞贝类的人越来越担心，海獭的增加正在影响他们的生计和食物资源。与此同时，来自沿海阿拉斯加原住民的狩猎压力也加大了，他们可以合法地采集海獭的皮毛。该项目将涉及与阿拉斯加土著社区和长老的合作。此外，它还将支持一支科学家团队，其中包括本科生研究人员、研究生、两名博士后学者和两名初级教职员工。其中一名研究生来自一个在科学界代表性较低的群体，调查人员计划以他们在阿拉斯加原住民项目中招募和留住学生的记录为基础。该项目的目标是利用一种综合了生态学研究、传统知识访谈以及生态系统服务量化和评估的跨学科方法，记录顶端捕食者和环境驱动因素在近岸海洋资源、生态系统和人类变化中的作用。这项研究考察了一段时间内海洋环境的变化，在这段时间里，海獭灭绝了，然后又重新定居。随着时间的推移，海獭的消失，然后扩展到不同的地区，允许以空间换时间，在被占领时间更长的地区，可以看到海獭的长期影响。对历史数据的分析为描述过去30-100年间海藻分布、丰度和自给收成的变化提供了机会。对包括海草、海带和鱼类在内的海獭的生态系统服务进行量化和评估，将提供关于海獭重新定居的潜在益处的信息。生态学、人类学和经济学方法的结合将有助于更好地理解人类、顶端捕食者和环境驱动因素之间的互惠反馈。在整个项目期间，与阿拉斯加土著社区的合作包括就项目目标和结果与社区成员和部落长老进行协商，最终目标是为资源管理提供信息，以改善农村沿海社区和近岸生态系统的可持续性。

Humans have a long history of controlling or hunting predators which has resulted in many of these animal populations being classified as threatened, endangered or extinct. Recent reintroduction of some species allows for an examination of their role in the ecosystem, potential for conflict with humans, and possible strategies for future coexistence of humans and predators. This project will use sea otters in Southeast Alaska as a model system, combining ecology, economics, and Alaskan Native traditional knowledge to learn more about the role of marine predators in coastal sustainability. Between the mid-1700s and 1900, sea otters were hunted to extinction in Southeast Alaska for their highly valuable fur. In the 1960s, these animals were reintroduced in the region, and their population has grown from roughly 400 to more than 25,000 individuals. The recovery of sea otters in Southeast Alaska provides an opportunity to understand their ecological role in coastal ecosystems, while simultaneously evaluating their interactions with people who depend on coastal resources for their livelihood. Because otters eat shellfish, fishermen and people who harvest shellfish have growing concerns that the increase in sea otters is affecting their livelihood and food resources. At the same time, hunting pressure on sea otters has intensified from coastal Alaskan Natives who can legally harvest sea otters for their fur. The project will involve collaboration with Alaska Native communities and elders. In addition, it will support a team of scientists that includes undergraduate researchers, graduate students, two postdoctoral scholars, and two junior faculty members. One of the graduate students is from a group underrepresented in science, and the investigators plan to build on their track record of recruiting and retaining students from programs for Alaskan Natives. The objective of this project is to document the role of apex predators and environmental drivers on changes in nearshore marine resources, ecosystems, and humans using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates ecological studies, traditional knowledge interviews, and ecosystem services quantification and valuation. This research examines changes in the marine environment over a period of time in which sea otters were extinct and then recolonized. The absence and then expansion of sea otters into different areas over time allows for a space-for-time substitution in which the longer-term effects of sea otters can be seen in areas occupied longer. Analyses of historical data provide an opportunity to describe changes in kelp distribution and abundance and subsistence harvests over the last 30-100 years. Quantification and valuation of ecosystem services from sea otters, including seagrass, kelp, and fish, will provide information on the potential benefits of sea otter recolonization. The integration of ecological, anthropological and economic approaches will lead to a better understanding of the reciprocal feedbacks between humans, apex predators and environmental drivers. Collaborations with Alaska Native communities throughout the project include consultation with community members and tribal elders about project goals and results, with the ultimate goal of informing resource management to improve the sustainability of rural coastal communities and nearshore ecosystems.