Living near natural hazards in the age of climate change–the relationship between expert and local knowledge in risk governance

The paper addresses the integration between science-based risk monitoring and forecasting of snow avalanche risk, with the experience-based and local knowledge involved in field observations of snow and weather conditions on Svalbard. We present the result of a scoping review of literature and interviews with stakeholders involved in producing input information to the monitoring and forecasting system. We discuss the role of tacit knowledge and its translation into a standardized monitoring system, the importance of a professional community of field observers, the nature and content of local knowledge on Svalbard, the integration of the different forms of knowledge.