An integrated methodological framework: engaging local communities in Arctic tourism development and community-based adaptation

Abstract

The Arctic region is experiencing transformation due to climate change, generating both threats and opportunities to local communities. In addition to warming, the signs of climate change are expected to materialise through an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather extremes. Climate-change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) have so far operated fairly independently, but there is an emerging need to examine their synergies due to their similarities. Tourism in the Arctic is also increasingly being encouraged by the different levels of government and seen as an important tool for economic development. The special features of Arctic tourism include a high dependency on natural resources, making it vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This article introduces a methodological framework merging elements from DRR, CCA and tourism development with a focus on community-based data-acquiring technique. Its practicality is emphasised through the focus on current and past community responses to weather anomalies and consequent adaptation measures. It additionally explores the relationship between the environment, community and tourism and aims to understand the characteristics of a community. Two case-study communities in Finnish Lapland demonstrate its relevance and contribution to CCA and to wider sustainable Arctic tourism development.

Keywords:

• methodological framework
• climate change
• community-based
• adaptation
• Arctic

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Academy of Finland through ‘CLICHE: Impacts of climate change on Arctic environment, ecosystem services and society’ – project which is part of the Finnish Research Programme on Climate Change (FICCA). The paper is also written within the research project ‘Chair in Arctic Tourism. Destination Development in the Arctic (2010–2012)’, hosted by Finnmark University College, Alta, Norway and financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Special thanks to Jarkko Saarinen, Michael C. Hall and the anonymous referees for their helpful comments, to Juhani Päivärinta for assisting with the map and to people who took part in the study.