The Arctic is particularly hard hit by the effects of climate change.
The Arctic is particularly hard hit by the effects of climate change. istock/ansonmiao

Headline: Arctic Governance

A core focus of the Arctic Governance research group is to maintain, improve and deepen research relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners engaged in Arctic research. Adopting a co-creative approach, the group understands research to be a holistic endeavour: co-defining, co-designing, and co-creating research questions, methodologies, and outputs with all rights holders and stakeholders involved. Of particular interest are multimodal communication formats as part of the research process and outcome (e.g., video, photography, online platforms).

Since 2020, the Arctic Governance group has organized annual workshops on Ethics and Methods in Arctic Transformative Research, focusing on knowledge co-creation and ways to overcome exploitative research practices. With a network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners, the group works on several projects that critically address Arctic research practices. Overarching themes include the relevance of Indigenous knowledge systems and Indigenous engagement in research, the acknowledgment of a plurality of perspectives and ways of being, and necessary changes in research infrastructures for a more uniform distribution of monetary means and power. An additional focus is a critical engagement with scientific knowledge production.

Positioned within the German Arctic research landscape, self-reflection forms an essential component of the work, and colonial entanglements that shape present-day research relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners are being acknowledged and deliberately made part of the overall reflection process and its resulting debates. With its focus on co-creative, transdisciplinary, and social science research, the group assumes a unique role within the German Arctic research landscape.

Projects

Climate change is already affecting the lives of the Arctic’s inhabitants. How do they gauge the risks? IASS researchers explore these kinds of questions.

Global Change and Arctic Sustainable Transformations (GloCAST)

The international community is ill-prepared to meet the growing challenges to sustainable development in the Arctic. Above all, there is a lack of knowledge about the complex interactions of Arctic and non-Arctic actors. This projects aims to close that gap.

The Arctic environment is under threat.

Co-Creation for Biocultural Diversity in the Arctic

The Arctic plays an essential role in sustaining ecosystems worldwide. At the same time, economic, political, scientific and touristic interests in the Arctic are growing and leave a far-reaching impact on local ecosystems and the livelihoods of residents. The Dávgi project aims to improve the exchange between decision-makers and thus strengthen the protection and restoration of bio-cultural diversity in the Arctic.

Completed Projects

The colourful fishermen’s houses in the village of Qeqertasuaq, Greenland, suggest an idyllic way of life. But the Arctic fishing industry is rife with conflicts among different interest groups. How can they be contained? The ArcticABC project focuses on this question.

Arctic Ocean Ecosystems - Applied Technology, Biological Interactions and Consequences in an Era of Abrupt Climate Change (ArcticABC)

How will the decline in Arctic sea ice affect fish stocks in this region? What are the likely consequences of this development for the regulation of Arctic fisheries? Contributing to the IASS project Global Change and Arctic Sustainable Transformations, this project will examine the stakes of Arctic and non-Arctic actors in Arctic fisheries and assess the existing Arctic fisheries governance framework as to its appropriateness for peaceful and environmentally sustainable management. The project aims to create a better understanding of global-local interconnections between stakeholders within and beyond the Arctic region in the area of fisheries and to identify deficits in the governance of Arctic fisheries.

The Nenets live in the underpopulated and underdeveloped tundra near the Russian Arctic. What can they and other inhabitants of the Arctic expect from the incipient exploitation of the region’s mineral resources? That’s just one of the questions examined by the project Arctic Impact on Weather and Climate (Blue Action).

Arctic Impact on Weather and Climate (Blue-Action)

Climate change is leading to rapid and far-reaching transformations in the Arctic, which is warming at a rate twice the global average. This project analyses how changes to the Arctic climate and a resulting increase in human activities in the region affect the climate and the weather of the entire Northern Hemisphere.

Climate change and economic activities are having adverse effects on the Arctic.

Marine Conservation in the Arctic

The melting of sea ice in the Arctic leads to new opportunities for economic exploitation, but also poses risks to the fragile marine environment. In the research project, the project partners are examining, among other things, the use of Arctic marine resources and the introduction of conservation measures. The project is a cooperation of the research groups "Arctic Governance" and "Ocean Governance".