Long-term Perspectives on Arctic Social-Ecological Systems

Final Report

A long-term, interdisciplinary perspective is needed to better understand past human responses to changing Arctic environments and present transformations and in turn strengthen the knowledge base for future sustainability strategies. The use of complimentary chronological perspectives (palaeo, contemporary and future) can provide mutually-reinforcing insights into factors that contribute to vulnerability and resilience within the closely interconnected social-ecological systems (SESs) of the Arctic. A conference session will be convened during Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2017 to assist in integrating historical, archaeological and long-term environmental and climatic records in order to improve understanding of the ‘palaeo’ aspects of Arctic SESs. In order to build on the ‘palaeo’ outcomes of the ASSW 2017 conference session, opportunities will be explored to convene subsequent conference sessions at ASSW 2018 in Davos, Switzerland to explore developments affecting contemporary Arctic SESs, and at ASSW 2019 in Arkhangelsk, Russia to explore opportunities to support future sustainability.

Highlights

Launches the SHWGs new theme of ‘Long-Term Perspectives on Arctic Social Ecological Systems’.
Goal was to integrate archaeological, historical and ecological datasets to investigate Arctic SESs from a ‘palaeo’ perspective, and to better understand what contributes to their long-term fragility, resilience and long-term sustainability.
Papers had wide temporal and full circumpolar geographic coverage; papers also presented by several Russian colleagues.
Early Career Scientists played a central roles (both as speakers and as co-chair).
Papers will be published in a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Quaternary International (Elsevier).