An integrated management plan for the Arctic offers a promising way to achieve a balance among the differing needs of industry, local communities, and ecosystems in a region undergoing profound and rapid changes. Pew is examining what an integrated management framework might look like for the U.S. Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s north coast.

Any form of integrated management should be guided by peer-reviewed science, traditional knowledge, and transparent decision-making. Because indigenous Arctic residents depend on the ocean for their way of life, the human place in the ecosystem is an essential element of an integrated management plan.