Adaptive capacity in the context of increasing shipping activities: A case from Solovetsky, Northern Russia

ABSTRACT This explorative study aims to understand how increasing shipping activities shape the local adaptive capacity of the coastal community, Solovetsky, on the Solovetsky Archipelago in the White Sea, Northern Russia. For centuries, shipping has been the main means of transportation in the White Sea and has played a key role in local livelihoods. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the community has experienced a dramatic increase in shipping development. Changes in the navigation season, tourism trends, and community development are just some of the drivers that have changed shipping patterns. The analysis of empirical material collected through interviews with 24 stakeholders and site observations reveal five salient determinants that influence the ability of the Solovetsky community to adapt to ship traffic growth: local involvement in the decision-making system, infrastructure, local values, the natural environment and economic resources. With careful investigation of these determinants’ implications and roles, we conclude that communities’ adaptive capacities are shaped not only by each determinant on its own, but also by the interlinkages between them.