NatuRE based SOLutions for sustainable use of high north marine biodiVersity and ecosystems sErvices (RESOLVE)

RESOLVE will investigate how the current national management regimes and legal frameworks of the four distinct case studies (CS) located in the Barents Sea, Iceland Sea, East Greenland, and West Greenland allow for the innovative co-development of Nature-based solutions (NBS). All these CS are profoundly affected by climate change, impacting hydrography, flora, and fauna.

There is an ongoing shift towards boreal dominance due to northward range shifts and the loss of arctic species, which is severely affecting biodiversity, food web structure and ecosystem services. Fishing and resource extraction stand out as the predominant human activities in the CS.

In dialogue with stakeholders, the project will analyse the synergies and trade-offs associated with implementing NBS, focusing on NBS´s impacts on human well-being.

Finally, RESOLVE will evaluate how the proposed adaptive MPAs/OECMs can drive transformative change within each case by considering implications for provisioning, cultural, and maintaining ecosystem services. The project will also qualitatively assess livelihoods and biodiversity within and outside existing or planned NBS.

This approach ensures that each case study and nationality can leverage international collaboration in the development of adaptive NBS in high-latitude seas where climate-induced changes in biodiversity are fast.