Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Barents Area

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Executive Summary to the report on Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Barents Area

The AACA project In 2013, in recognition of the changes occurring in the Arctic and the need for Arctic communities and governments to respond to them, the Arctic Council launched the Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA) project. Its aim is to enable more informed, timely, and responsive decision-making at the local and regional level by integrating knowledge across different regions and fields of expertise. The study focuses on the diverse challenges faced by residents, sectors and economies in the Arctic, and the adaptations that they have begun to plan and implement in response to the rapid changes taking place, as well as those expected in the future. It also provides key strategies and tools intended to inform decision-makers about possibilities for helping their communities adapt to future change. The Barents area The geographic study area includes the Barents Sea as well as the adjacent terrestrial areas, and Svalbard and Franz Josef Land. Thus, the study area is broader than the ‘Barents Region’ as defined by the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC; www.beac.st/en). This report sometimes also covers the neighboring regions of Yamalo-Nenets. Climatically, the region is heavily influenced by its proximity to the sea and its high latitude. The North Atlantic Current (a northern branch of the Gulf Stream) makes the entire Barents area far warmer than comparable areas at similar latitudes, but parts of the region still possess glaciers, permafrost and environmental features typical of the Arctic. Ecologically, the Barents area largely comprises boreal forest, which makes up 54% of the mainland area, with alpine and Arctic tundra accounting for 20%. Glaciers constitute about 4% of the land area, and there are abundant and wide-ranging freshwater ecosystems and open wetlands. The Barents Sea hosts more than 200 species of fish and the most species-rich marine mammal community in the circumpolar Arctic, reflecting the rich seasonal productivity of the continental shelf. The area also supports some of the largest concentrations of seabirds in the world.The region is rich in renewable and non-renewable resources. These form the basis for forestry, fisheries, mining, agriculture and the hydrocarbon industry, as well as tourism and local and indigenous economic activities such as herding, hunting and gathering. This highly varied region is inhabited by 5.5 million people, including indigenous peoples (Sámi, Nenets, and Veps) as well as many other groups. In terms of the primary sector, forestry is important in Sweden, Finland and northwestern Russia, while fishing and energy (mainly oil and gas) are important in northern Norway andnorthwesternRussia.The area is an important source of hydroelectricity, both for local use and for export outside the region. Mining is economically important in parts of each

country. Tourism and reindeer husbandry are also important locally, although these are lesser activities. However, in some areas,such as northern Finland,tourism is an important source of employment, and its importance is growing in other parts of the region.The primary sector makes a relatively small contribution to employment, but represents an important contribution to GDP in the Barents Region. About 7% of the Barents Region’s total work force is employed in agriculture, forestry, fishing and reindeer husbandry. Human activities in the Barents area have traditionally been directly coupled with resources provided by ecosystems. Today,many livelihoods entail a mix of market and non-market activities that providematerial necessities and social, cultural and spiritual needs.While non-market aspects of Arctic livelihoods are typically closely integratedwith nature and access to nature, many important market-oriented activities are also closely tied to nature. The Barents area is experiencing environmental change driven by climate change and increasing human activity, in parallel with changes in socio-economic systems driven by a range of environmental, political, societal and cultural conditions. Some changes are easy to predict – some more difficult. Some changes are rapid and obvious, while others are slower and more subtle. The interlinkages within these wide-ranging environmental and societal changes are many and complex; and some combined effects are acting synergistically, enhancing the rate or magnitude of change. Although environmental and societal changes are creating unprecedented challenges in the Barents area, opportunities for societies and their foundations are also emerging. While most adaptation takes place locally – where the changes are obvious – the regional, national and international contexts shape the configuration and opportunities for local adaption. The implications for policy and planning are substantial, and adaptation has thus become a major priority across the Barents area, in addition to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and short-lived climate forcers. National adaptation policies in the region are increasingly linked with the development of international governance that articulates common goals such as sustainable development, human security, climate change mitigation, and indigenous peoples’ rights. The Paris Agreement strengthens the policy commitments to adaptation action, and enhances the link between adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development. Environmental and socio-economic changes and impacts Social and economic trends, together with projected changes in average and extreme air temperature and precipitation, sea temperature, sea level and snow and ice cover on land and at sea, play essential roles in shaping the future. These trends affect terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, peoples and societies, and economic activities and opportunities in the

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