Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Sustainability at the timberline: challenges of governance in forestry  (Timberline project)

Outline
Commercial forestry has been developed in the last 100 years in the boreal forests of Fennoscandia, northwest Russia, Siberia, Canada and Alaska. A considerable amount of commercial forestry occurs at the northern treeline. This treeline is a transition zone between the northern boreal forests and the treeless tundra which varies in width and latitude around the globe. The management of timberline forests is under pressure because of competing forms of land use, environmental changes and degradation and economic forces of industrialization. Natural resource management is an intrinsically political process, underpinned by a legal framework, as well as a social framework of norms, and structures. The main challenge is to advance sustainable development in local communities depending on forestry as a livelihood. A critical question is how to deal with economic development, environmental changes, environmental preservation and social justice, that is, how to do justice to a broad range of social values represented by different individuals and social groups in different local settings. This research project takes as its starting point the production of local sustainabilities around the circumpolar Arctic. By that, we refer to the complex social, legal and cultural processes of combining the various rights and interests of stakeholders, such as diverse local and global parties, entrepreneurs and workers in business, permanent and temporal residents, the state, tourism operators etc, with the aims, practices and responsibilities of each. The main research question is: How are local sustainabilities produced, maintained and governed between various stakeholders and communities at the timberline? In order to answer this question two research tasks are posed: 1) Staking a Claim: Locals and Stakeholders It has nearly become an obligation to take the opinions of local communities into account when it comes to the use of natural resources. The research task is to study different concrete cases and to find out which stakeholders are considered as concerned parties on which grounds and who are the groups or individuals that are excluded from decision-making. Particular problems arise when complex social relations must be expressed exactly in legal or administrative contexts. 2) Challenges of Governance and Capacity-building The research task will study the problem of governance and capacity-building in natural resource management. Legislation easily becomes an objective of political struggles between different interest groups in the power to control and use natural resources. Knowing local forms of governance will help to identify and strengthen those practices that support local sustainability, that is, the capacity for sustainable development. The concept of capacity encompasses social, cultural, technological and economic resources and skills in nature management. Similarly, it has an institutional dimension by which it refers to complex conditions of governance, including policies, regulations and practices operating at different levels. The aim of this research project is to develop a circumpolar network to study the challenges of sustainability in forestry at the northern timberline. The research will be conducted in different localities, for example, in northern Canada, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Methodologically, it will combine research approaches suitable to each research task, including intensive fieldwork in different case studies, and various combinations of qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
theme 1 (2): to determine the present status of forestry and its importance to stakeholders in different arctic regions - theme 2(2): to study enviornmental changes and degradation in different arctic regions in relation to the development of commercial forestry - theme 3 (4): to examine the impact of globalization to different arctic regions and their livelihoods - theme 6 (2) to study local, regional, national and international efforts to govern conflicts and challenges in forestry

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
a circumpolar network of researchers will be developed to study comparatively the challenges of governance in forestry at the northern timberline

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
northern Canada, Russia, northern Finland, and Sweden

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 2006 baseline      2007 fieldwork and interviews      2008 reporting
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Own support

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Expansion

The proposal is built to a large extent on experiences of research cooperation and existing networks of research cooperation. These projects are Governance of renewable natural resources 2004-2007 (funded by the Academy of Finland, leader Soili Nystén-Haarala) and a project to study the stakeholders view on impacts of climate change in the Barents region, especially in forestry, fishery and reindeer herding 2002-2005(EU-funded BALANCE project, leader Manfred Lange)

How will the project be organised and managed?
a steering group will be established to develop the proposal further

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Arctic Centre science centre and information services provides an excellent means to address the education and outreach issues

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
these plans will be developed according to the IPY guidelines

How is it proposed to fund the project?
- national and international funding opportunities will be used to fund the project

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Pro Monica Tennberg
Arctic Centre
University of Lapland
P.O.Box 122, Rovaniemi
96101
Finland

Tel: 358-16-341 2793
Mobile: 358-505432904
Fax: 358-16-341 2777
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation