ИСТИНА

The Polar and High Altitude Regions are undergoing rapid environmental, socio-cultural and economic transformation. The primary task of geographers is assessing and monitoring the resilience of integrated Social-Ecological Systems at different scales that involves a better understanding of the complex interactions between social and ecological domains and facilitates the creation of resilient systems whilst increasing knowledge capacities of polar communities and their ability to shape change. Simultaneously, geographers are very much needed in exploring current progress in making the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more operational what has been underlined by the IGU recently. Despite the intention, the SDGs are fragmented and their formulation is rather sectoral and needs more integration based on SESs resilience approaches which offers complex analysis and solutions, taking into consideration the impacts of biophysical and social drivers of change. This presentation aims at exploring how polar communities and stakeholders deal with the combined challenges from climate change, political, economic and resource pressures, changes to the global order and new socio-cultural realities and what the future might hold for the Polar and High Altitude Regions. We recognize the opportunities presented by integrated interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches developed within geography integrating biophysical, social, humanities and arts scholarship. Geography is considered to be the main scientific discipline in implementing of desired circumpolar sustainability monitoring network in close cooperation with local indigenous and non-indigenous communities especially in the Arctic. The role of Arctic stakeholders with their local and tradition knowledge place considerable role in managing sustainability in the Arctic. Also cooperation of decision makers and business should play a considerable role. Sustainability monitoring activity is the good platform for such stakeholders cooperation.