Conclusions

Abstract

The ecosystem changes underway in the Arctic region are expected to have significant impacts on living resources in both the short and long run, and current actions and policies adopted over such resource governance will have serious and ultimately irreversible consequences in the near and long terms. The chapters in this book present a wide cross-section of research on Arctic Marine Resource Governance and its role in past and future regional development. They stem from a conference on this topic held in Reykjavik, Iceland in October of 2015. Several chapters delve into past, present, and future implications of fisheries resource use and management at multiple scales, complementing the breadth of focus. The complexities of the Arctic political, economic, and ecological environment mean that governance must accommodate multiple scales of use and concern. Rapid climate change – predicted to be more rapid and more influential in the Arctic than anywhere else on the planet – means that shifts in ecosystems and the resources they provide will require adaptive, ecosystem-based management to successfully navigate the uncertainty and change underway.