Covering over 100,000 square kilometres of subarctic forests, mountain ranges, and coastline, Norrbotten County in northern Sweden represents one of Europe’s most pristine natural landscapes. However, extreme annual temperatures in Sweden are rising twice as fast as the global average, placing these fragile ecosystems under unprecedented stress with consequences that includes:
- Infrastructure damagedue to thawing permafrost, causeing soil erosion and ground instability, damaging trails, buildings, and visitor facilities.
- Ecological disruption by the frequent winter freeze-thaw cycles. It destroys the stable snow cover needed by small mammals like lemmings and freezes over grazing ground, preventing Sámi reindeer from accessing food.
- Safety and operational risks due to unstable ice and unpredictable extreme weather make travel treacherous for park rangers, researchers, and tourists alike.
Cross-Border Alliances & Collaborative Management
To tackle challenges that cross physical and political boundaries, the CLAP Project (Climate Change Communication and Adaptation in Arctic Protected Areas) united managing authorities across Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
Supported by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and partnering with the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), the project brings together international scientific expertise and crucial local knowledge. In places like Abisko National Park, park managers work directly with local stakeholders, including Sámi reindeer herders, tourism operators, researchers, and local councils, to co-create realistic adaptation strategies.
Practical Action, and Inspired Visitors
Rather than relying on single forecasts, the CLAP initiative equips park authorities with flexible tools to manage uncertainty:
- Scenario-Based Adaptation Planning: In Abisko National Park, managers and local stakeholders developed four distinct climate scenarios to test management goals, assess vulnerabilities, and prioritise actions using frameworks like the US NPS Resist, Accept, Direct (RAD) approach.
- National Scaling: Practical insights gathered from northern pilot sites are directly shaping SEPA’s upcoming national climate guidelines for all protected areas in Sweden.
- Hands-on Adaptation: On the ground, parks are piloting climate-adapted trail construction, eco-friendly campsite designs, and emission-reduction measures.
- Empowering Park Visitors: Visitor centres such as Naturum Abisko use storytelling and science-based displays to explain visible ecosystem shifts, validate climate emotions, and inspire visitors with historical examples of human resilience.