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 Arcticregion in the coming decades. Adaptationto these changes will require measures of all the actors in the region. Finland, part of the Euro- Arcticregion, will adaptto these changes in a variety of ways. The Barents area is unique in the Arcticin being a multicultural, relatively densely populated area with well-developed industries and infrastructure. This report examines adaptationto 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 adaptationoptions, 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 ArcticCouncil and ArcticMonitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) project titled ” AdaptationActions for a Changing Arctic” (AACA). The project has prepared a pilot reportby Nordic and Russian experts on the Barents area in English on changes, their impacts and adaptationoptions. The report will be published in 2017 (AMAP 2017).