The Barents area changes – How will Finland adapt? (Barentsin alue muuttuu – miten Suomi sopeutuu?)

The cumulative impacts of environmental, climatic and societal changes and their consequences will affect the development of the Arctic region in the coming decades. Adaptation to these changes will require measures of all the actors in the region. Finland, part of the Euro-Arctic region, will adapt to these changes in a variety of ways. The Barents area is unique in the Arctic in being a multicultural, relatively densely populated area with well-developed industries and infrastructure. This report examines adaptation to changes and their consequences in the Barents area in terms of governance and Finland’s capacities to adapt. The aim has been to produce comprehensive information from the Finnish perspective for local and national decision-makers about long-term changes in the region, their expected impacts and adaptation options, and to support decision-making that will advance adaptation. The report includes recommendations. This report is based on the contribution of Finnish experts to an Arctic Council and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) project titled ”Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic” (AACA). The project has prepared a pilot report by Nordic and Russian experts on the Barents area in English on changes, their impacts and adaptation options. The report will be published in 2017 (AMAP 2017)