Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

For a Special Issue on
Ecosystem Services, Sustainable Development, and Socio-Ecological Health in Arctic and Cold Region Environments

The well-being and sustainability of Arctic and other cold region environments (including alpine and Antarctic regions) and societies rely on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystem services. Sustainable ecosystem services that can support human well-being are also key to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Arctic and cold region societies share unique characteristics and challenges in the process of achieving these SDGs. They include low but often growing human populations and geographical isolation that makes them highly dependent on both national and international trade, but also on subsistence livelihoods. Indeed, these regions benefit from abundant natural resources allowing strong socio-cultural and economic dependence on fishing, hunting, and tourism. Furthermore, Arctic and cold region environments are among the most vulnerable in the world to rapid climate change and are attracting increased industrial interests.

In this special issue, we welcome contributions that address:

• The underlying physical, chemical, geological, ecological, and/or social underpinnings of ecosystem services, including climate feedbacks in cold region environments. We seek contributions with an explicit focus on ecosystem services (provisioning, supporting, cultural and/or regulating) and their sustainability.
• The human well-being contributions of ecosystem services in the Arctic, including for food security, health, and revenue.
• Case studies that address the socio-ecological, economic, or policy implications of achieving the SDGs in the Arctic.
• Improved methodological approaches for assessing (both quantitatively and qualitatively) or scaling ecosystem services or nature’s contributions to people in the Arctic.
• Studies that draw on multiple ways of knowing, including the inclusion of local and/or Indigenous knowledge, in order to ask questions concerning any aspect of ecosystem services or sustainability in cold region environments.

• Submission window: July 2022 - April 2023

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article