Major Environmental Concerns  

[ Land Degradation | Forests | Biodiversity | Marine and Ice | Ozone Depletion | Pollution | Population ]

The total human population in the Arctic currently exceeds 3.5 million. The indigenous population constitutes approximately 80 per cent of the total population in Greenland, 50 per cent in Arctic Canada, 15 per cent in Alaska and Arctic Norway, and a smaller proportion in the rest of the Arctic countries (AMAP, 1996). Due to improving living conditions through socio-economic development, the population growth rates in many parts of the Arctic are rising and the population is generally young (AMAP, 1996). At the same time, a number of northern regions in Russia have lost 20-30 per cent of their population during the 1990s due to emigration, a decreased birth rate, and increased mortality (Goskomstat of Russia, 1995).

The indigenous peoples of the north have traditionally survived on a sustainable system of hunting and herding the local fauna. Today, many of the local inhabitants are increasing the level of resource exploitation to supplement their income and are involved in new and non-traditional activities, such as industrial processing and tourist services. Purely traditional life-styles are tending to disappear as indigenous people adopt "southern" life-styles to a greater or lesser extent. These are accompanied by changes in food and dwelling habits, education, and health care.

Differences between the local and introduced cultures are levelling out in some areas, most notably in the Nordic countries. In other areas, however, such as in the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation, there have been decreases or withdrawal of centralized subsidies for traditional economies. These economic changes are imposing hardships on the local populations and consequently on the environment on which they depend for much of their livelihood. Overall, there is a growing recognition of traditional values among the Arctic peoples themselves, among national Governments, and among international Arctic organizations. Increasingly, such values are being addressed in various programmes, including those operating under the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy.

United Nations Environment Programme