What future for the Arctic? That’s the question we ask in a short article on our Nature and Biodiversity News & Views website (http://newsandviews.ceh.ac.uk).

Despite its cold climate, the Arctic is home to a wide range of specially adapted plants and animals. The rich biodiversity of the region supports indigenous peoples who maintain traditional practices like reindeer herding, hunting and fishing, whilst also embracing modern technologies.

The Arctic is one of the world’s last wildernesses, but it is not pristine. Pollution and over-exploitation affect the environment of the region. Recent global warming appears to be reducing the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice, threatening some species and enabling others to move north. In recent years, sea routes have opened up, increasing territorial claims on the region from nations eager to exploit reserves of oil, water and marine species.

If the plants, animals and peoples of the Arctic are to have a future, we must reduce pressures on these fragile polar ecosystems. Scientific research of the kind that the EU's INTERACT project is supporting can help. By studying the Arctic to better understand the many complex and interacting pressures we can find solutions that can be adopted by Governments and local people.

You can read the complete article here and share your views and concerns about the Arctic in two ways: by text comments and by answering 4 multi-choice questions.

This article was contributed by members of the EU-funded INTERACT project. Several ALTER-Net partners are also involved in INTERACT.