Social-ecological networks for sustainable coastal development in northwestern Norway: a case study of Andøya

There is no “off the shelf” science for sustainability. Globally, researchers in all fields are realizing that understanding the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems requires integrated methodological and conceptual approaches as the basis for sustainable natural resource management. Socioecological systems (SES) science attempts to understand and describe the myriad of ways humans and their natural world are connected, and this is being increasingly applied to the marine environment. Fundamental to the SES framework is the presumption that humans can make conscious choices as individuals or in groups, and that these choices can influence outcomes. The islands of the Vesterålen region in Norway are home to some of the most famous fishing and cultural heritage sites in Northern Europe. Traditional knowledge and fishing practices6, boat building, and other ocean-linked trades are part of an integrated human-ecosystem heritage that has developed for over one thousand years. As the largest cod stock in the world, and arguably the most important commercial fishery for Norway, the northeast Arctic cod fishery has supported generations of Norwegian enterprises with its high value (around 6.7 billion NOK of landed value in 2018). However, these streams of revenue to, otherwise isolated, areas along the Norwegian coastline face major threats and impacts under global climate change. One of these islands, located in the Vesterålen region, provides a useful example of the coastal development challenges faced by Norwegian municipalities. This particular island, Andøya, is the northernmost island in Vesterålen and sit at the center of multi-sector resources users that includes the fishing industry and other commercial enterprises such as the Andøya Space Center (ASC). This presentation will explore the early-stage results of a PhD project that aims to identify and evaluate the inter-sectoral socioeconomic and ecological tradeoffs of coastal development in the Andøya case study, and determine how this can contribute to evidence-informed coastal management policy for Norway. By describing Andøy through a social-ecological (SES) lens and framing the research within the SES framework – the research can also become more relevant to managers and decision-makers by explaining the human-nature interactions of a system and gaining some clarity on the socioeconomic and ecological tradeoffs within that system.

Til publikasjon: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/4910449 | Publiseringsår: 2021 | Tidsskrift: