Combining Actor-Network Theory and the Concept of Ecosystem Services to Assess the Development of Arctic Shipping Routes

Global warming alters the Arctic on different ecological and social levels, including rising resource availabilities and shifting power relations. In this geographical area, the natural sphere, which is based on the geographical spheres of the earth, and the social sphere are strongly interwoven and therefore sensitive to even small alterations, as a case study of Arctic shipping routes will highlight. The principles of Actor-Network theory enable the investigation of interdependencies, resulting in an equal treatment of both mentioned spheres. Based on this theoretical background and a qualitative literature research, mediators of Arctic actor-networks located in the overlapping zone between these spheres have been identified. An enlarged ecosystem services approach was then adopted to develop a methodology to quantify these mediators and the power relations around them. Apart from the equality of the natural and the social, crediting both higher influences over the respectively other domain, mental entities were recognized as core-elements of Arctic networks, further linking the natural and the social sphere. Moreover, global, regional and local interdependencies have been included into the analyses, contributing ultimately to a wider understanding of actor-networks of the High North, which is of importance to scientists, public and policy makers in order to cope future global challenges, like climate change.