What the forests should be used for? How practice-based solutions are reached for forestry, at hub level in Sweden

At a recent workshop with local stakeholders in Malå, Sweden (click here to read more about Malå hub #6), organised by our partner Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the issue was raised of how and for which purpose the forest should be managed and used. The workshop was an ideal occasion for our partners to gather information and work together with various local stakeholders and communities representatives linked to …

Indigenous hubs

The indigenous hubs focus on locations with indigenous knowledge pertaining to reindeer husbandry, fishing, hunting and the traditional use of other natural resources. Indigenous communities live their lives across and parallel to the rest of Arctic society for parts of their sustenance. Simultaneously their lives are influenced by infrastructure and services often developed with someone else, living a different kind of life, in mind. Due to the interconnectedness of indigenous …

Forest hubs

Forestry has been a long-standing sector across large swathes of the Arctic and sub-Arctic region. Traditionally, management and revenues from forestry have come in the form of outtake of biomass for timber and fuel, with little consideration for other uses of the forest. However, the goals of forestry have diversified strongly in recent decades, emphasizing the whole spectrum of what are termed ‘ecosystem services’ provided by forests. Ecosystem services are …

Mining hubs

There is a rich history of mining in the Arctic stretching back to the early days of the industrial revolution. A diverse suite of mineral resources including iron ore, nickel, copper and quarried stone have been taken and continue to be extracted across the Arctic region. Climate changes have begun to significantly alter the familiar landscapes and backdrops to such extractive industries. The retreating ice-caps are starting to expose potentially …