Happiness in times of change: Friluftsliv on Svalbard

• Main Authors: Meyer, Alexandra, Salem, Tomas
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Svalbard; Outdoor life; Environment
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8252847

This is the project report of the the project "Happiness in times of change: Friluftsliv on Svalbard", published by the Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund. Svalbard’s nature is fundamentally changing due to global climate change. Simultaneously, the popularity of the archipelago as an exotic travel destination is increasing due to an intentional economic restructuring from coal to tourism. This is advocated as part of Svalbard’s “green transition” towards a carbon-free economy but presents environmental and social challenges of its own. According to the Norwegian government, Svalbard is supposed to be one of the world's best-managed wilderness areas, and environmental regulations are currently being revised and strengthened. The common imaginary of the Svalbard nature is thus one of an empty wilderness, pristine, harsh, and desolate, that is being threatened by climate change and thus must be protected (Brode-Roger 2020). What is often overlooked in such portrayals of the Svalbard nature is the role it plays for the people living on the archipelago, their life-projects, and wellbeing. This aim of this project is to document and analyze current outdoor-practices (friluftsliv) among Svalbard residents, understand the motivations and aspirational dimensions behind outdoor activities in Svalbard's wilderness areas, and analyze the impact of an expanding tourism industry, increased regulations, and climate change on local ways of living, through ethnographic fieldwork, film, photography, and interviews.