As part of the Interreg Aurora-funded project Insects of the North, Anna Reetta Rönkä from University of Oulu recently completed several weeks of ethnographic fieldwork in Kilpisjärvi, Finland.
With nearly 20 interviewees, she gathered valuable local and Indigenous Sámi knowledge about mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects: how people experience them, live with them, understand their ecological roles, and perceive changes over time.
Initial findings suggest that mosquitoes play a significant role in the short northern summer, shaping daily life in many ways. At the same time, people’s experiences vary considerably. The interviews also highlighted the close connections between insects, wildlife, and northern ecosystems, as well as observations of how insect populations and behaviours may have changed over the years.
The next step is to explore how this rich community knowledge can contribute to and be integrated with ecological research, in particular mosquito monitoring and modelling work. The project works towards bridging local knowledge and ecological science to better understand northern environments and the many living and non-living things that make the North such a special part of the planet.
Learn more about the project Insects of the North
Anna Reetta Rönkä, University of Oulu
Ethnographic fieldwork in Kilpisjärvi, Finland
