The Arctic is experiencing unprecedented warming; the region warms four times faster than the global average. These changes affect ecosystems at every level, from microscopic phytoplankton to fish such as the Arctic cod, which play a key role in the food web. In order to gain a better understanding of these processes, researchers from seven German universities and research institutes are investigating the long, dark winter months. The YESSS (Year-round EcoSystem Study on Svalbard) project is led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). It's funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the government’s polar strategy.

Within the project, Ecologic Institute works on developing a more adaptive governance framework that can help maintain the stability of Arctic ecosystems in the face of rapidly changing climatic and environmental conditions. These options will be tailored both to the unique conditions of the Svalbard archipelago and explore their transferability to comparable Arctic regions, offering pathways for adaptive, sustainable management.

To gather input and contribute to building a network on these issues, Ecologic Institute organized and hosted a virtual workshop on 30 October 2025, with input presentations by Anna Soer (University of Ottawa) on "Seasonally resolving ecosystem functioning in a warming Arctic", DG Webster (Dartmouth College) on "Precursors to Effective Governance in the Arctic", and our own YESSS project, spanning international and regional insights into effective and adaptive governance. The workshop continued with a moderated exchange with 15 external experts, building on guiding questions on flexible governance arrangements, potential gaps, and ideas for practical next steps and potentials for collaboration.