News

On the 2nd of June, Nordregio Senior Researcher Dr. Leneisja Jungsberg will participate in a Climate Coffee to share about her study examining the adaptive capacity for managing permafrost degradation in Northwest Greenland. The study focuses on three aspects: community awareness, institutional organisation, and scientific knowledge to inform decision-making. “Permafrost degradation is a big challenge for many Arctic communities. Results from this study illustrate the impact of permafrost degradation on the physical environment, hunting and harvesting, housing, and the economy in Northwest Greenland. House owners are mending damage caused by ground movement, and local institutions are concerned with the maintenance of roads and other public infrastructure impacted by permafrost,” says Dr. Jungsberg. The empirical material is informed by questionnaire and interview data from fieldwork, frozen ground temperature records, and published data forecasting the deepening of the active layer. Results illustrate that much of the adaptation practices are carried out ad-hoc and due to a lack of human and financial resources there are currently no long-term solutions. The research leading to this study received support from the Nunataryuk project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program. Climate coffees are relaxed meetings for scientists to exchange ideas, discuss about their latest results and new methods with their fellow scientists. Climate coffees are an initiative of ECRA and Blue-Action. Read the article here. Register for the Climate coffee here.

Nordregio researchers Timothy Heleniak and Justine Ramage will present at the “Population Dynamics and Climate Implications in the Arctic” webinar. They will participate in a panel discussion on Arctic Population Dynamics and share their insights based on Nordregio projects ”Polar Peoples in the Future: Projections of the Arctic Populations” and “Atlas of population, society and economy in the Arctic”. The webinar will provide a forum for experts and attendees to: Identify human geography data which provides a foundation for examining the changing environment in the Arctic Explore Arctic demographic trends, including outmigration, urbanization, and settlements, and their broader impacts Discuss participatory and other local mapping processes conducted with indigenous peoples to better understand human security issues in the Arctic region Webinar speakers and the WWHGD Working Group Support Team will highlight and share relevant methods and data during the event. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other participants, share data, and pose questions to the speakers. The webinar is sponsored by the World-wide Human Geography Data Working Group and hosted by the Office of the Geographer of the U.S. State Department. The WWHGD is co-led by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Department of State. Find more information and registration here.

The Council of Nordic Ministers decided as of March 4, 2022, to immediately discontinue all collaborative efforts with Russia and Belarus. The Nordic Ministers for Cooperation stand united in this decision. This means that programs, projects, and activities in Russia and Belarus are discontinued until further notice. In light of the stance put forth by the Nordic Ministers for Cooperation, Nordregio issues a moratorium as regards the disbursal of project funds, the acceptance of applications, the execution of projects, and the entry into agreements and the like that involve Russian and Belarusian parties. The intention is to end all contacts and collaborative efforts with governmental and public institutions of Russian or Belarusian origin. “Intellectual and cultural engagement between individuals is an important prerequisite to creating cohesion and mutual understanding between countries. It is devastating that this war in this way will affect cooperation in academia, research and culture – fields that are meant to serve as tools for mitigating conflicts, building global understanding across borders and supporting people-to-people contacts. The Director reserves the right to decide whether specific contacts and collaborative efforts are appropriate on a case-by-case basis if the circumstances change in the future,” says Nordregio Director Rolf Elmér. Nordregio has been involved with four projects with one or several Russian counterparts: FemArc, Semper Arctic, WANO and Accelerating wood construction across Nordics and Russia. All of these projects have been halted.

Nordregio is welcoming two new researchers to our team, hoping to continue producing high-quality and relevant research further.  Ana de Jesus, Senior Research Fellow. De Jesus is a social scientist with a multidisciplinary background working at the intersection of global studies and economics, focusing on innovation, circular economy and sustainability. Hilma Salonen is joining Nordregio as a Research Fellow. Salonen is a social scientist who specialises in sustainability transitions, remote locations and energy politics, with a PhD focusing on Russian regional development in the Arctic and how it links with renewable energy prospects. She aims to broaden her scope to include Finnish rural regions and explore making sustainability transitions more just by focusing on habits. Salonen’s hope for working at Nordregio is to work with more practical results and more engagement with the general public.

This year’s Learning in the North – NVL/EPALE conference looks at the world’s challenges concerning the green shift, the digital transformation and the increasing globalization trend. Nordregio Senior Research Fellow Timoty Heleniak will participate in the event and discuss population issues in the Nordic High North and Arctic. In his presentation, Timothy Heleniak will focus on the Nordic High North, defined as the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Greenland, Iceland, the Faroes. He will also compare the other areas of the Arctic facing similar demographic dilemmas. “The northern areas of the Nordic region face a number of demographic challenges. These include scattered settlements, declining and aging populations, and often gender imbalances along the urban hierarchy. These demographic trends often make sustaining vibrant economies difficult. Many regions in the High North are actively working to address these demographic trends through various policies and programmes,” – says Dr Heleniak. How can cooperation between educational actors, administration and business contribute to the development of a sustainable and competitive society and a work and business life in the North? How can the High North succeed in developing and utilizing the right competencies for tomorrow’s business and social life in the North? These are some of the questions that will be discussed at the conference. The conference will also contribute to achieving the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Vision 2030 goals for a green, socially inclusive, and competitive Nordic region. It will also address the European Skills Agenda’s goal of developing competence to strengthen sustainable competitiveness, social inclusion, and resilience in the face of crises. Find more about the conference here.

Nordregio researchers Anna Karlsdóttir and Ágúst Bogason participate in Arctic Circle Assembly 2021 – the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic. They will present the Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme and moderate a session. Dr Anna Karlsdóttir, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio, will participate in the “Arctic Blue Bioeconomy: Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic” event, presenting the topic “Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme: Innovation-driven and job-generating blue bioeconomy in the Nordic Arctic region after COVID-19”. The Nordic Council of Ministers organizes this event together with Nordregio, Nordic Research Center for Regional Development and Planning, NORA, and the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation.  The researcher will also moderate a section for the Icelandic institute of international affairs from the University of Iceland. “The session “Innovation for a New Arctic” focuses on a discussion between scientists, policymakers, representatives from the business sector, and young social entrepreneurs in the Arctic region. A real discourse among these different actors on the challenges facing the Arctic and what needs to be done to meet them is of great importance for the prospects of the Arctic Region,” says Karlsdóttir. Arctic Circle is the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation focusing on the future of the Arctic and of our planet. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others. Arctic Circle is also non-profit and nonpartisan.  Find more about the Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme here. Find more about the Arctic Circle Assembly here.

French Institute Nordic Award winner and Nordregio Research Fellow Justine Ramage participated at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Congress in Marseille, presenting her work on permafrost. An event of huge proportions, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Congress gathers a significant number of world-level leaders who discuss issues and solutions to combat the loss of biodiversity in the world. During this year’s congress, Nordregio Research Fellow Justine Ramage gave a presentation about permafrost and Nordregio’s work within the Nunataryuk project. The speech focused on the impact of permafrost thaw and its effects on the Arctic population and ecosystem services. It explained the consequences of climate change on permafrost landscapes, the carbon budget, and people. Together with the audience, Nordregio Research Fellow Justine Ramage “travelled” to the permafrost region, showed pictures and offered facts and results from the latest study on perceived impacts of permafrost thaw in three communities. “The impacts of permafrost thaw and its perception by people living on permafrost are diverse. Permafrost thaw is perceived by its residents as a major cause for challenges in subsistence activities, infrastructure, and the physical environment. Our work highlights that social perceptions are not solely determined by physical changes, but also by factors such as discourses of climate change, cultural background, and land use,” says Justine Ramage. The project has listed as one of its main goals the attempt to determine the impacts of thawing land, coast and subsea permafrost on the global climate and humans living in the Arctic. And it also aims to develop targeted and co-designed adaptation and mitigation strategies. Justine Ramage obtained the FINA (French Institute Nordic Award) for her work on the impact of permafrost thaw on landscapes and ecosystem services. The FINA prize aims to promote cooperation between France…

The Arctic is home to approximately four million people, counting numerous ethnicities among its inhabitants and more than ten percent of the total population living in there is Indigenous peoples. All aspects of human existence in the Arctic in the past, present and future are analyzed at the Congress (ICASS X). Nordregio researchers, Timothy Heleniak, Anna Karlsdóttir and Leneisja Jungsberg, participated at the International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences, offering presentations during different sessions on Science and Arctic communities in response to climate change, Indigenous people, population history of Alaska natives, coastal communities adapting to permafrost, inequalities in the Arctic. “ICASS X provides an overview of state of the art in Arctic social science research. Congress connects researchers and allows us to learn and get inspired from each other’s work – in a five-day conference, and we virtually meet almost 1000 researchers. In the congress, participation of indigenous scholars and early career researchers is particularly supported”, says Leneisja Jungsberg, Research Fellow at Nordregio. The Congress takes a deep dive into the history, future and sustainability of Arctic peoples and environment, throughout generations and co-production of knowledge with Indigenous knowledge holders and Arctic stakeholders. Social sciences and humanities have a great responsibility to address Arctic sustainability challenges. By focusing on people and the Arctic area, the conference highlights the many differences across the Arctic region regarding political systems, demography, infrastructures, histories, languages, legal systems, land and water resources, and public health. You are welcome to contact the researchers to get the presentation material or if you have any feedback regarding the topics.

Help Nordregio to visualise life in the Nordic cross-border areas during COVID-19 Do you live in a Nordic cross-border area? Or have you visited any of these areas before or during the pandemic? Maybe you took a bunch of pictures there? The cross-border communities are facing many challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic and closed borders. Life is not the same any more – many have had to change their daily life and work routines. Nordregio researchers are working on several projects in relation to this situation and you will hear about them very soon. To complement the studies and raise awareness about the current challenges, we would like to ask you to contribute with pictures from Nordic cross-border regions. Guidelines for submission: The submitted picture is made by the person who is submitting; One person can submit up to 5 pictures; The pictures are taken in cross-border areas in the Nordics; The caption describes the location, time and situation portrayed; If people are portrayed in the picture, and their face is recognizable, their signed consent to publish a picture should be provided; If people in the picture are under 18 years old, the parents’ signed consent to publish the picture should be provided; The pictures size is min 1 MB – max 16 MB; The picture formats are jpg, jpeg, png. Share your pictures by the 5th of March! The pictures will be used to illustrate Nordregio’s scientific publications and communications material related to the studies. The submissions are not subsidized but a clear reference to the author will be made. If you have any questions or concerns, please, contact vaida.razaityte@nordregio.org

Nordregio is inviting applications for a senior position as Head of GIS Department. Working at Nordregio means an opportunity to become part of a truly international research environment with a focus on sustainable regional development in the Nordic region and beyond. It offers significant career development potential in terms of enhancing your competences through applied and policy relevant research, achieving an international network of contacts, as well as getting extensive experience in team and project management. You will also get rich opportunities to collaborate with regional and municipal stakeholders in the Nordic countries. Nordregio is currently seeking a new Head of GIS Department with: Expertise in GIS, geo-data, quantitative analysis, and applied research in the field of regional development. Experience in leading a team and managing projects as well as a successful track record in grant applications. Knowledge in geographies and socio-economic trends in the Nordic Region and beyond. A drive for working in teams and in an international applied research environment. Eagerness to present and disseminate results to different stakeholder groups, both orally and in written format. Competences and qualifications As Head of GIS Department, you both lead and manage the GIS-team by planning and organising tasks and activities, communicate with each team member and contribute to their development. You are also a project manager with responsibilities to attract, initiate and lead externally funded research and innovation projects. The geographic scope of your field of interest includes a European and international perspective and expert knowledge in at least one of the Nordic countries. We appreciate abilities in external networking and in communication with stakeholders. Internally we appreciate analytical and creative skills, complemented by abilities to both cooperate and work on your own. For this position, you have at least 6 years of relevant work experience and an extensive network…

The new year starts with the publication of a scientific article penned by Nordregio researchers, focusing on the impact of permafrost thaw on the people living in the Arctic circumpolar permafrost region. In 2017, close to five million people lived in 1162 permafrost settlements in the Arctic Circumpolar Permafrost Region. As a result of permafrost thaw, the number of inhabitants is projected to decrease by 61.2%, from 4.9 million to 1.7 million—many of them living in permafrost-free areas by 2050. Titled “Population on Permafrost in the Arctic”, the paper is the first demographic study assessing the population living in these areas and the huge impact of permafrost thaw upon their lives. Half of the current settlements will be affected, eventually disappearing due to thawing of permafrost. The consequences will vary depending on the remaining ones’ location, future climate trajectories and the extent to which settlements can adapt in the remaining time before permafrost thaws. The authors of the paper published in the journal of Population and Environment are Nordregio Research Fellows Justine Ramage, Leneisja Jungsberg,  Senior Research Fellow Tim Heleniak and GIS Specialist Shinan Wang.   

The Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers has opened up its call for new project applications for financial support in 2021. Deadline for sending in proposals is 1st February 2021 (12:00 CET). The aim of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Cooperation Programme 2018-2021 is to create sustainable and constructive development in the Arctic and for its people based on the four P’s: planet, peoples, prosperity and partnerships. The programme is administered by Nordregio, with one round of applications per programme years.

Welcome to the webinar 26 October at 17.30 -18.45 (CET) about Scottish and Nordic perspectives on the common objective of repopulating rural and remote areas hosted by Scottish Government. This session will offer Scottish and Nordic perspectives on the common objective of repopulating rural and remote areas, identifying similarities, divergences and opportunities for mutual learning. Discussions will focus on approaches to making rural and remote communities attractive places to move to, live, work and bring up families, to ensure sustainable populations, facilitate inclusive economic growth and support wellbeing. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be multifaceted from a population and migration perspective, with higher mortality rates of an ageing population and international and internal migration flows already impacted in the short-term. Moderator: Jane Craigie – Director, Rural Youth Project Speakers: Fiona Hyslop – Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture Karen Refsgaard – Research Director, Nordregio Timothy Heleniak – Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio Jane Atterton – Manager, Rural Policy Centre, Scotland’s Rural College Martin Shields – Isle of Kerrera Development Trust This event is part of the Scottish Government’s Arctic Connections webinar series. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rural-and-thriving-scottish-and-nordic-lessons-on-reversing-depopulation-tickets-124069853271?aff=erelpanelorg

Sami language competence is a sought-after skill in the regional labour markets. Sami-related occupations can be found in traditional occupations such as reindeer husbandry and Sami handicrafts, but also in tourism and in creative industries. But are there enough Sami teachers? And how do Sami education institutions meet the labour market demands and opportunities? Nordregio has published a report on Sámi youth perceptions in English and Northern Sami as a part of the work of The Nordic Thematic Group on Sustainable Rural Development 2017-2020. The report is available both in English and Northern Sámi, see the links below. Nordregio hosted a webinar in early June based on the findings of this report together with Sami youth representatives Juhán Niila Stålka, board member of the youth association Sáminuorra, and Arla Magga, the Sami Parliament in Finland, author of a report on cross-border education and the coordinator of an ongoing project on remote Sami language education. In case you missed it, the recording is available here: https://nordregio.adobeconnect.com/p9yjila7h1ac/?proto=true

Sami language competence is a sought-after skill in the regional labour markets. Sami-related occupations can be found in traditional occupations such as reindeer husbandry and Sami handicrafts, but also in tourism and in creative industries. But are there enough Sami teachers? And how do Sami education institutions meet the labour market demands and opportunities? A new report from Nordregio investigates these questions and the results are discussed in a webinar 9 June at 3pm (CET) together with Sami youth representatives Juhán Niila Stålka, board member of the youth association Sáminuorra, and Arla Magga, the Sami Parliament in Finland, author of a report on cross-border education and the coordinator of an ongoing project on remote Sami language education. “We didn’t really learn anything about our own culture in school. I started learning about it at university. Now that I have the language, there is so much I can do, for example translations, interpretation, write education material. (…) I have a friend who teaches Sami language remotely while living abroad. Modern technology makes this possible.” (Youth, F, FI) Linnea Löfving from Nordregio together with Lise Smed Olsen from Oxford Research will present the results of the study which was commissioned by The Nordic Thematic Group on Sustainable Rural Development 2017-2020. The report will be available at the group’s website, see nordregioprojects.org/rural, as well as sent to all webinar participants middle of June. A link to the event will be sent to all participants a day before, but registration is needed here: https://www.lyyti.in/Samiwebinar

A new study compares two Arctic cruise destinations – Ísafjörður in Iceland, and Qaqortoq in Greenland – with a focus on how core stakeholders perceive the sustainability of cruise tourism and how power relations in the industrial development between place-bound local stakeholders and global cruise lines are played out? – We have seen unprecedented growth in cruise tourism in the last decade in many of the more remote Northern destinations in the Nordic countries – with both good and bad impacts. It sets pressure on environmental carrying capacity and social tolerance in smaller communities like Ísafjörður, Iceland and in South Greenland.  A sudden stop of traffic due to Covid-19 will enable decision-makers and stakeholders in the tourism industry to reconsider more sustainable ways of supporting the renaissance of shipborne tourism in the Arctic. The findings of this article may be helpful in paving that trajectory, says Senior Research Fellow Anna Karlsdóttir, who together with Laura James at Aalborg University and Lise Smed Olsen at Oxford Research published a paper Sustainability and cruise tourism in the arctic: stakeholder perspectives from Ísafjörður, Iceland and Qaqortoq, Greenland. Based on interviews with local stakeholders it seems that the development level of a destination and the relative importance of land-based tourism have an impact on how local actors rate sustainability issues. -The relative importance shows in Ísafjörður and the Westfjords, as there are an abundance of possibilities to develop soft adventure tourism like hiking, kayaking, slow tourism, agrotourism but due to the growth in cruise calls to the region the capacity has simply not been there. The cruise tourism crowds out other maybe more economically sustainable ways of developing tourism, Karlsdóttir explains. The study shows that there were differences in the emphasis placed on the environmental, socio-cultural and economic aspects of sustainability in each destination, but also similarities in the perceived…

Overall, the population of the Arctic is projected to change only a little in the foreseeable future. However, there will be considerable variation in growth rates among the Arctic regions: Alaska, Yukon, Nunavut, Iceland, Troms, Khanty-Mansiy Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug are projected to experience a substantial population increase of more than 10%. Kainuu in Finland, Karelia, Komi, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, and Magadan in Russia are projected to have population reductions of more than 5% each. In addition, global population growth has had and will continue to have a profound impact on the Arctic and its population. Rapid population growth is a major contributor to global warming – which is occurring much faster in most of the Arctic than anywhere else. While the populations of some Arctic regions are projected to grow and others are projected to decline, there are some common demographic trends which are expected to take place in nearly all. Ageing: In common with many countries and regions in the developed world, the populations of the Arctic region are projected to age in the future. Sex ratios: Arctic regions have typically had a rather higher ratio of men to women, which are now projected to decline. Urbanisation: It appears that the population size in many smaller Arctic settlements will decline, and some may even be abandoned, while much of the growth will be concentrated in larger settlements – in some cases, just one large settlement. Nordregio publishes a Working Paper on Polar Peoples in the Future: Projections of the Arctic Populations and a short Executive summary.

Qaanaaq is the northernmost town in Greenland. A young village established in 1953, Qaanaaq is mainly a town of hunters and trappers. Nordregio’s researcher Leneisja Jungsberg spent three weeks in February in Qaanaaq conducting fieldwork to understand social impacts from permafrost thaw as part of the EU funded Nunataryuk project. Most human activity in the Arctic takes place along permafrost coasts and these coasts have become one of the most dynamic ecosystems on Earth due to climate change. Permafrost thaw is exposing these coasts to rapid change, change that threatens the rich biodiversity, puts pressure on communities and contributes to the vulnerability of the global climate system. NUNATARYUK is analysing the impacts of thawing coastal and subsea permafrost on the global climate, and develops targeted and co-designed adaptation and mitigation strategies for the Arctic coastal population. Read Leneisja’ story about one of the worlds northernmost town at 77° North. 

Increasing temperatures in the Arctic cause permafrost thaw which will have severe consequences for the inhabitants of the Arctic Region. Sixty per cent of the settlements and more than two-thirds of the population are located on permafrost. Thawing may affect houses, roads, harbours and infrastructure and the local economy. In some cases, it may even lead to the relocation of entire coastal communities. The new Atlas of Population, Society and Economy in the Arctic provides an in-depth overview of the changes that are affecting popu­lations in the circumpolar North. – It is essential to keep in mind how this can affect the indigenous communities. There are more than 40 different ethnic groups who represent a significant share of the Arctic population, especially in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland where 75% or more are indigenous, says Timothy Heleniak, Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio. As part of the EU-funded Nunataryuk project, the atlas presents a collection of standardised in­dicators which illustrate the state of the Arctic re­gions. The focus is on demography, society, economy, production, accessibility and infrastructure as well as physical conditions and resources. -During fieldwork for the Nunataryuk project, we saw that in a small Greenlandic town in Disko Bay, some fishermen started using a drone for navigating around the thickest ice-flakes. Using drones saved them fuel for the boat and helped them navigate easier. They also got stunning photos which they shared on Facebook – and other fishers became aware of the benefits, and suddenly it became the new way of navigating the area, explains Research Fellow Leneisja Jungsberg, Nordregio. Thawing affects the infrastructure and industry Much of the Arctic is still underlain by permafrost, but it is melting faster than expected, with significant negative consequences according to a recently-released Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a…

An open seminar on the future of regional development will be held 12 September at the University of Akureyri. The seminar is organised by Ministry of Transport and Local Government, Byggdastofnun and Nordregio and in cooperation with the EK-R (Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Regional Policy) and Nordregio’s Board of Directors. Registration via this link   Programme 09:00-09:10 Opening Adress Rector Eyjólfur Guðmundsson, Rector at the University of Akureyri 09:10-09.25 Introduction: Nordic Cooperation on Regional Policy – What topics have been prioritized in the past and what’s in the pipeline for the future? Kjell Nilsson, Director of Nordregio and Affiliated Professor at University of Copenhagen 09:25-09:45 Opportunities and challenges for regional development in the North Atlantic Region, Snorri Björn Sigurdsson, Head of Department, Icelandic Regional Development Institute 09:45-10:20 What have been the key successes – and shortcomings – of regional development policy over the past 20 years, and what are the key lessons to be drawn? José Enrique Garcilazo, Head of Regional and Rural Unit, OECD 10:20-10:40 Coffee break 10:40-11:00 The Nordic Welfare State at the crossroads, Joakim Palme, Professor of Political Science, Uppsala University (SE) 11:00-11:30 Discussants Gerd Slinning & Katarina Fellman (Isabella Palomba Rydén) 11:30-11:50 The sustainable Nordic city of tomorrow, Ellen Braae & Henriette Steiner, Professor and Ass. Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Copenhagen (DK) 11:50-12:30 Discussants Jarle Jensen & Olli Vuotilainen 12:30-13:30 Lunch 13:30-13:50 Opportunities and challenges for future rural development policies in the Nordic Region, Gro Marit Grimsrud, Senior Researcher, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS (NO) 13:50-14:30 Discussants Hanna Maria Urjankangas & Maria Eriksson (Eydun Christiansen) 14:30-14:50 Green transition for resilient Nordic regions, Markku Sotarauta, Professor of Regional Development Studies, University of Tampere (FI) 14:50-15:20 Discussants Sara Aasted Paarup & Bjørn Barvik 15:20-15:50 Coffee break 15:50-16:10 Future opportunities and challenges for the Nordic…