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

人类控制或捕猎食肉动物的历史悠久，这导致许多这些动物种群被列为受威胁、濒危或灭绝。最近一些物种的重新引入允许检查它们在生态系统中的作用，与人类的潜在冲突，以及未来人类与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、经济学和阿拉斯加土著传统知识，更多地了解海洋捕食者在沿海可持续性中的作用。在18世纪中期到1900年之间，阿拉斯加东南部的海獭因其珍贵的皮毛而被捕杀至灭绝。在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一个机会，同时评估它们与依赖沿海资源为生的人们的相互作用。因为水獭吃贝类，渔民和捕捞贝类的人越来越担心海獭的增加会影响他们的生计和食物资源。与此同时，海獭的狩猎压力也在加剧，因为阿拉斯加沿海的当地人可以合法地收获海獭的皮毛。该项目将涉及与阿拉斯加土著社区和老年人的合作。此外，它将支持一个科学家团队，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员。其中一名研究生来自科学界代表性不足的群体，调查人员计划利用他们从阿拉斯加原住民项目中招募和留住学生的记录。该项目的目标是通过跨学科的方法，将生态学研究、传统知识访谈和生态系统服务量化和评估相结合，记录顶端捕食者和环境驱动因素对近岸海洋资源、生态系统和人类变化的作用。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，然后又重新定居了。随着时间的推移，海獭的消失和扩张到不同的地区，允许了空间对时间的替代，在这种替代中，海獭的长期影响可以在占领时间较长的地区看到。对历史数据的分析提供了一个机会来描述过去30-100年间海带分布、丰度和维持生计的收成的变化。对海獭（包括海草、海带和鱼类）的生态系统服务进行量化和评估，将为海獭重新定居的潜在利益提供信息。生态学、人类学和经济学方法的整合将有助于更好地理解人类、顶级捕食者和环境驱动因素之间的相互反馈。在整个项目中，与阿拉斯加土著社区的合作包括与社区成员和部落长老就项目目标和结果进行磋商，最终目标是为资源管理提供信息，以提高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.