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COMMERCIALFISHERIESBackgroundSomeoftheworld’smostproductivefisheriesarelocatedintheArcticregion.FishingoperationsintheArctictakeplaceinareasthatarecompletelyorseasonallyice-free.Considerations

• Commercialfisheriesareinterestedinprotectingthehealthandsustainabilityoffishpopulations.

• Warmingmaypotentiallyfavorcommercialfishing--warmingtemperaturesarecausinganincreaseincommercialfishpopulationsthatarenewtotheArcticregion.

• ExpansionofcommercialfishinginsomeareasoftheArctichasbeenprohibitedduetoalackofunderstandingofhowfishpopulationsarechanging.

• Commercialfisherieswanttomaintaintheirrightstofishinareaswhereotherstakeholdersareinterestedindeveloping.

• GovernmentsandorganizationsarecurrentlyworkingondevisingsustainableplansforfishingintheArctic.

• Sustainablecommercialfishingrequiresmaintenanceandprotectionoffishecosystems.Descriptionofspatialinterests

• Currently,mostactivitytakesplaceintheBeringandBarentsseas,thewestcoastofGreenland,andaroundIcelandandtheFaroeIslands.

• Nolarge-scalecommercialfishingoccursinthecentralArcticasofyetduetoseaiceconcentration.

Descriptionofinterestovertime

• AslessicecoverstheArctic,interestsfromotherstakeholderswillintensify.Fisherieswillneedtoprotecttheirfishingrightsaswellastheecosystemtheyrelyon.

• Asthewaterbecomeswarmer,commercialfisharemigratingnorthandmayeventuallyresideintheArcticOcean.

• Itispossiblethatsomesoutherncommercialfishspecieswilldowellinthisnewareaandout-competelocalspecies,andfishermenmayhavetochangetheirfishingapproaches.

Notes:Fishermendonotrequireprivateaccesstotheirwaters;therefore,negotiatingwithotherinterestsgroupswillmakesharingArcticresourceseasier.Furthermore,itisimportantforfishingthattheecosystemismanagedsustainably,minimizingenvironmentalpollutionanddepletionofstocks.

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SHIPPINGINDUSTRY

BackgroundAsArcticseaiceretreats,newshippinglanesareopeningup,includingtheNorthernSeaRoutealongtheRussiancoastandtheNorthwestPassagealongtheCanadian.Manyshippingcompaniesthattransportconsumergoodsworldwideareinterestedinthesenewroutes.Considerations

• Currently,shippingroutesintheArcticislimitedbyseaiceconditions,butisgrowingsteadily.• Arcticshippingtakesplaceduringthesummerseason,whenseaiceisataminimum.• Eveninsummermonths,weatherandiceconditionscanmakenavigationchallenging.• Currently,cargoshipsusingArcticshippingroutesareoftenaccompaniedbyspecializedicebreaker

vessels,whichcanaddtooverallcosts.• Arcticshippingroutescansignificantlydecreasethetimeanddistancestraveledofmoretraditional

routesthatgothroughtheSuezandPanamacanals.• Shortershippingroutesmayreduceenergyuseandemissions,helpingtocombatclimatechange.• PortdevelopmentalongnewArcticshippingroutescanproviderevenueforlocaleconomies.

Descriptionofspatialinterests

• Currently,shippingcompaniesareusingroutesalongthecoastlinesofRussiaand,toalesserextent,Canada.

• TheshippingindustryalsocurrentlyreliesonexistingArcticportsandinfrastructuretoaccommodatetheirneeds.

Descriptionofinterestsovertime

• Recently,Arcticicehasshownsignificantmeltingpatternsacrosstheregion,particularlyinsummer.• Lookingahead,thepolaricecapisexpectedtoshrinkconsiderablyinsummer,withaminimalamountof

iceleftalongthenortherncoastsofCanadaandGreenland.• Asseaicecontinuestodecrease,shippingcompanieswillwanttotakeadvantageofthenewlyaccessible

shippingroutes,likelyincludingtheTrans-ArcticroutethatrunsthroughthecenteroftheArcticOcean.Notes:TheInternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO)recentlycompletedandadoptedthePolarCode,aninternationalcodeofsafetyforshipsoperatinginpolarwaters.ThecodemandatesthatshipsmeetcertaindesignstandardsandhaveequipmentsuitedtotheharshArcticenvironment,andalsorequiresspecialtrainingforshipoperatorsandpersonnelinordertominimizerisktopeopleandtheenvironment.

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TOURISMBackgroundAlthoughthenumberofpeopletravelingtotheArcticremainssmall,seasonaltourismactivitiesintheregionaregrowingquickly.Considerations

• Tourismisincreasingdueto:improvedaccess(lessseaice, andlongerseason);increasingaffordability;morepersonalwealthtofacilitatetraveltimetotravel; jurisdictionalconstraintsremoved.

• TourismisdiverseintheArctic:itincludesmarketsforsightseeing,sporthuntingandfishing,adventure,natureandwildlife,andculturalheritage.

• Biggesttouristattractionsinclude:seeingthenorthernlights,pristinelandscapes,polarbearsandotherwildlife,andexperiencinglocalcultures.

• BecausetheenvironmentplaysabigroleinArctictourism,manytouristorganizationsareinterestedinsustainabilityandconservation.

• CruiseoperatorsmustbepreparedforchallengingiceandweatherconditionsinordertooperatesafelyintheArcticregion.

• Somelocaleconomiesrelyontourismforsalesrevenue,jobs,personalincome,andpublicfinancing.Descriptionofspatialinterests

• Tourismcurrentlytakesplaceinareaswithexistingportsandinfrastructuretoaccommodatevisitors.

• Currently,ArctictourismtakesplacemostfrequentlyaroundNorway,Svalbard,Iceland,andGreenland.

• TourismdevelopmentisagoalforCanada(Nunavut,Manitoba,Yukon),Russia,andAlaska.DescriptionofinterestsovertimeOvertime,tourismwillincreasethroughouttheArctic.Thisismostlydueto:

• Climatechange,whichiswarmingtheArctictwiceasfastastherestoftheworld,leadsto:o Increasedaccessibility:lessseaicemeanseasieraccesstonewareasforvisitso Changingenvironments:peoplewillwanttoseetheanimalsandlandscapeswhiletheycan

• Coastalcommunitiesshowingincreasedinterestingrowingtheirlocaleconomiesthroughtourism.Notes:Eco-Tourism,astrategyusedbysomeArctictourcompanies,isdefinedas“responsibletraveltonaturalareasthatconservestheenvironmentandimprovesthewell-beingoflocalpeople”(TIES,1990).

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COASTALCOMMUNITIES,PRIMARILYINDIGENOUSPEOPLES(Specifically,IndigenousPeopleswithmixedeconomiesinfavorofpreservingculturaltraditionsandsubsistencelifestylepractices)BackgroundIndigenouspeoplehavelivedintheArcticforthousandsofyears,adaptingtheirlifestylestotheharshenvironment.MostnorthernIndigenouscommunitiesaremixedsubsistence-casheconomies.Considerations

• TopprioritiesformanyArcticIndigenouscommunitiesinclude:o Economic,social,andculturalsustainabilitythatcontributestothewell-beingofcommunities

andtheirresidentso Protectionoftraditionalfishing/huntingrightsthroughmanagementofnaturalresourceso Preparednessforandresponsetochangesinenvironmentandecosystems

• Manycommunitiessupportactivitiesthatwillstrengthenanddiversifylocaleconomies,forinstance,tourism.

• CommunitiesmaysupportdevelopmentofArcticoilandgasresourcesunderthefollowingconditions:o Resourcedevelopmentmustcontributetoimprovedlivingstandardsoflocalcommunitieso Portionofoilcompanies’profitsareinvestedintolocaleconomyo Resourcesaredevelopedinawaythatprotectsthelocalenvironment,includingsafetymeasures

topreventsspillso Oilcompaniestakefullresponsibilityforcleanupofanyspills,andeithercompensatelocalsfor

lossesincaseofaspilloremploythemtohelpwiththecleanup,payingthemasalaryequivalenttowhattheyweremakingbeforewithbenefits

Descriptionofspatialinterests

• IndigenouscommunitiesarelocatedthroughouttheArcticregion.• Ingeneral,IndigenousPeopleshaveadeepconnectiontothelandsthey’vehistoricallyinhabited.• IfresourcesarelocatedinoronIndigenousterritory,localcommunitieshaveasayinmakingdecisions

relatedtodevelopment.DescriptionofinterestsovertimeIndustrialization,socialchange,andenvironmentalissuesmaychallengemanyaspectsofIndigenousPeopleslivelihoodsandcultures.Climatechangepresentsachallengeinthefollowingways:

• Sealevelrisewillimpactmanycoastalcommunities.• Globalwarmingimpactsthediversityofspecies,whichinturnaffectsfishingandhunting.• Economicinterestswillchangeovertimeasmoreseaicemelts,openingupnewroutesforships.• Meltingofseaicewillallowaccesstooilreservesthathavebeenpreviouslyuntapped.

Notes:ThisisnotauniformdepictionofallArcticIndigenouspeople.ItisimportanttonotethatArcticIndigenouscoastalcommunitiesarediverse;theyspeakdifferentlanguages,havedifferentculturalpractices,andhavedifferentvalues.Someareinfavorofdevelopment,whileothersarenot.

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OIL&GASBackgroundTheArcticisprojectedtoholdalargeamountoftheworld’sundiscoveredenergyresources:13%ofitsoil,30%ofitsnaturalgas,and20%ofitsliquefiednaturalgas.Morethan80%oftheseresourcesarethoughttobeoffshore.AcontinuingriseindemandisthemainreasoncompaniesareinterestedinArcticoilandgasexploitation,despitethehighriskandcostofrecoveringtheseresources.Considerations

• Manycompanieswantclearregulationstoreducepotentialliabilities.• Theindustryislargeandrequiresskilledlabor,whichpromisesjobcreationforlocalcommunities.• Overcomingissuesofcost,coldweather,ice,lackofinfrastructure,limitedweatherforecasts,and

deepwaterswillrequirealotofresearchanddevelopment,includingnewtechnologyandinfrastructuredevelopment.

• Oilandgascompanieshavesignificantmonetaryresourcesandpoliticalpowertohelppushfordevelopment.

• ResourcedevelopmentincreasesstressesthatArcticcommunitiesandecosystemsarefacingasaresultofclimatechange.

• ItiscurrentlyimpossibletocleanupanoilspillundermostArcticseaiceconditions.• Expansionofshippingroutesisofspecialinterest,ascompaniesneedtotransportextractedoiland

gas.Descriptionofspatialinterests

• Productionislimitedtospecificgeographiclocationswithprojectedreserves.• AreaswiththehighestprobabilityfordiscoveriesarewithinthecoastalregionsofCanada,Alaska,

Russia,andNorway.Descriptionofinterestsovertime

• Thesoonerexplorationstartsthebetter,sothatplanscanbemadeforproduction.• Asseaicerecedeswithclimatechange,newsiteswillopenforoilexploration.• Thelessicethebetterforbothoilandgasdevelopmentaswellastransportofextractedresources.

Notes:ANorway-basedoilandgascompanyisadvocatinganecosystem-basedapproachtoassessingtheimpactofnewoilandgasexploitationinArcticandsub-Arcticregions.Thiswillallowdecision-makerstorunsimulationsofthepotentialeffectsofoilandgasactivity(drilling,oilspills,tankers,invasivespecies,etc.)onecosystemslocatedinproposeddrillingareas.

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ENVIRONMENTALADVOCATES(WildlifeFocused)BackgroundTheArcticishometomanyuniquespeciesofanimalsthatarespeciallyadaptedtolivingintheoftenharshenvironment.Considerations

• ArcticCod,RingedSeals,andPolarBears,amongother Arcticspecies,aredependentonseaiceforhabitat.

• Ice-dependentspecieswillfacesurvivalchallengesfrombotharapidlychangingclimateandindustrialactivitieslikeresourcedevelopment.

• Advocacygroupsareworkingwithscientiststobetterunderstandwhatice-dependentspeciesneedtosurvive,andhowecosystemsandhabitatscanbesustainablymanagedtopreventextinction.

• PollutionfromArcticandglobalindustrialsourcescanbuildupinthefattytissuesofanimals,causingsicknessandevendeath,insomecases.

• SomeenvironmentaladvocacygroupsuselargemediacampaignstocallattentiontothechallengesArcticspeciesarefacing.

• ManycoastalcommunitiesthatdependonhealthyArcticecosystems,includingArcticIndigenousPeopleswhopracticesubsistencehuntingandfishing,areinterestedinenvironmentalprotection.

Descriptionofspatialinterests

• ManyArcticmarinespecies,includingwhales,seals,andbirds,spendtheirlivesonornearyear-roundseaice.

• Mostimportantecologicalareasarecurrentlylocatedalongcoastlines;becauseofhistoricalicecover,littleisknownaboutspecieslivinginthecentralArcticOcean.

Descriptionofinterestovertime

• Asclimatechangeprogresses,environmentaladvocatesareworkingtoprotectareasintheArcticwhereseaiceislikelytoremainthroughouttheyear.

• EnvironmentalgroupswillneedtoworkwithotherArcticstakeholderstoensuresafeandsustainabledevelopmentoftheregionsresources.

Notes:Currently,polarbearsaredistributedaroundtheentirecircum-Arcticregion.However,habitatforpolarbearsandotherice-associatedspeciesisprojectedtobelostaroundmostoftheArcticasseaicemelts.PolarbearhabitatislikelytobesustainedforlongestintheregionnorthofCanadaandGreenlandknownasthe“LastIceArea.”Thereforethe“LastIceArea”willbecomeincreasinglyimportantfortheconservationofthisiconicspeciesassummerseaicediminishes.