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

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Preface

Access to reliable and up-to-date information is essential for the development of science-based decision-making regarding ongoing changes in the Arctic and their global implications. Related assessment summary reports have therefore been developed specifically for decision makers, summarizing the main key messages from the Barents regional report. The assessment lead authors have confirmed that both this report and its derivative products accurately and fully reflect their scientific assessment. All AMAP assessment reports are freely available from the AMAP Secretariat and on the AMAP website (www. amap.no) and their use for educational purposes is encouraged. AMAP would like to express its appreciation to all experts who have contributed their time, efforts and data, in particular the coordinating lead authors for each of the chapters in this report.Thanks are also due to the reviewers who contributed to the peer-review process and provided valuable comments that helped to ensure the quality of the report.A list of coordinating lead authors is included in the acknowledgements at the start of this report and all authors are identified at the start of each chapter. The acknowledgements list is not comprehensive. Specifically, it does not include the many national institutes and organizations, and their staff, which have been involved in the various countries. Apologies, and no lesser thanks are given to any individuals unintentionally omitted from the list. The support from theArctic countries and non-Arctic countries implementing research and monitoring in the Arctic is vital to the success of AMAP.The AMAP work is essentially based on ongoing activities within these countries, and the countries that provide the necessary support formost of the experts involved in the preparation of theAMAP assessments. In particular,AMAP would like to acknowledge Finland,Norway,Russia and Sweden for taking the lead country role in this assessment. AMAP would also like to thank the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Government of Finland’s analysis, assessment and research activities; the Ministry for ForeignAffairs of Finland; the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency; the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Norwegian Research Council for financial support to the assessment work. AMAP further acknowledge and appreciate the in-kind contribution to the project from the authors and their employers. TheAMAPWorking Group is pleased to present its assessment to theArctic Council and the international science community. Marianne Kroglund (Assessment Co-chair, Norway) Tove Lundeberg (Assessment Co-chair, Sweden) Monica Tennberg (Assessment Co-chair, Finland) Anna Degteva (Assessment Co-chair, Russia) Martin Forsius (AMAP Chair, April 2017) Lars-Otto Reiersen (AMAP Executive Secretary) Oslo, September 2017

This report presents the results of the 2017AMAPAssessment of AdaptationActions for a ChangingArctic (AACA): Perspectives from the Barents Area . This is one of the three pilot study regions included in theAACA project.AACA is the first AMAP assessment dealing with adaptation actions and how to meet possible Arctic futures in these times of rapid change. There are two other pilot study areas included in the AACA-C project.The first is the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort region, which includes the ChukotkaAutonomous Okrug in Russia, northern parts of Alaska and western Canada and adjacent marine areas and the second is the Baffin Bay/Davis Strait region involving West Greenland, the eastern part of Nunavut in Canada and Baffin Bay/Davis Strait between these land masses. These pilot studies are the Part C of the total AACA project. AACA-A involved an overviewof Arctic Council working group reports which could be used as background information for adaptationwork,whileAACA-B involved an overviewof already implemented adaptations in the Arctic Council member states. TheArcticMonitoring andAssessment Programme (AMAP) is a working group under the Arctic Council.The Arctic Council Ministers have requested AMAP to: •• enable more informed, timely and responsive policy and decision making related to adaptation action in a rapidly changing Arctic •• produce information to assist local decision makers and stakeholders in three pilot regions in developing adaptation tools and strategies to better deal with climate change and other pertinent environmental stressors. This report provides the accessible scientific basis and validation for the statements made in the AACA Barents Area – Overview Report that was delivered to theArctic Council Ministers at their meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA 11 May 2017. This science report includes extensive background data and references to the scientific literature and whereas the overview report contains statements about foundations for adaptations that focus mainly on policy-relevant actions concerned with options on how to adapt to projected Arctic futures, the conclusions and key messages presented in this report also cover issues of a more scientific nature. This assessment of adaptation perspectives for the Barents area was conducted between 2013 and 2016 by an international group of experts. Coordinating lead authors were appointed following an open nomination process coordinated by AMAP. The peer-review process involving independent international experts was organized by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Information contained in this report is fully referenced and based first and foremost on peer-reviewed and published results of research andmonitoring undertaken within the past decade. Care has been taken to ensure that no critical probability statements are based on non-peer-reviewed material.

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