ArcticHubs
The ArcticHubs project is a four-year initiative funded as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, with partners drawn from Universities and research Institutes, NGOs, public and private sectors and civil society. It is a multi-disciplinary international collaboration that aims to develop research-led, practice-based solutions to address challenges faced in the Arctic.
Climate change is projected to alter the Arctic more dramatically than any other region in the world. The Arctic today faces extraordinary pressures, with globalization and the climate crisis combining to drive change at an unprecedented rate.
The opening up of new economic sectors, including mining and tourism, alongside the industrialization of many traditional livelihoods, such as fishing and forestry, are driving land use conflicts between competing sectors, and producing profound transformations on lives and communities at the economic, socio-cultural, political and environmental levels.
The strategic goal of ArcticHubs is to develop sustainable, solution-oriented tools for reconciling competing models of livelihood and land-use in Arctic hubs and their surroundings, whilst respecting the needs and cultures of local populations (eg Sámi in Fennoscandia).
In practical terms, ArcticHubs will focus upon the further development and adoption of three core tools:
- Public participatory geographical information systems (GIS)
- Guidelines for ‘Social Licence to Operate‘ (SLO)
- Building of future scenarios to be applied in the Arctic
These tools will be trialled and implemented across the diverse settings of the 22 hubs. Furthermore, through anticipation of future changes or alternative scenarios, the project aims to impact in both a flexible and holistically sustainable manner.
