| Summary: | Svalbard is transitioning from coal mining to an economy of tourism, research and higher education. The changes are driven by the Norwegian national Svalbard policy, with environmental protection and a stable Norwegian population in Longyearbyen as overall goals. Based on interviews with local tourism actors and authorities, and analyses of key policies we identify the dominant narratives shaping responses to policy and environmental changes and what Svalbard is and should be. The narratives range from playground to wilderness, from sustainable tourism and zero emission society to policy ambitions for strict nature conservation of this Arctic wilderness. What Svalbard's wilderness is, and how to maintain and protect it, remains a contested issue. Potential conflicts and different levels of feasibility of national policy for tourism development in the context of changing environmental, political and economic conditions emerge. We explore how an adaptive co-management approach to tourism has the potential to reconcile stated national policy with local tourism opportunities and community development.
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