Title: Scenarios for Energy and Resource Development on the North Slope and Adjacent Seas
Client: US Bureau of Land Management (BLM); North Slope Science Initiative (NSSI) – ongoing
The North Slope region in Alaska, is a critical area for the energy and resource extraction industries, the biodiversity of the region and the local indigenous groups who reside there. With rapidly evolving conditions, the region challenges stakeholders to consider the multi-faceted implications of development in the region. Working with a conglomerate of U.S. Federal, State and local stakeholders, through the North Slope Science Initiative and the University of Alaska, a systematic spatio-temporal, scenario-based assessment is being developed to explore in an unprecedented way the different trajectories that the North Slope, may follow through 2040. Combining a participatory process with a geographical analysis of the regions natural resources and sociological institutions, the project is aiding decision makers in the implementation of an effective decision making strategy for research and monitoring in the area.