Lecture Maarten Loonen. An introduction to our winterschool:  'Our connection with a fast changing Arctic'

Even though the scheduled Winter school 'Our connection with a fast changing Arctic' of the Arctic Centre in Groningen, in collaboration with Sustainable Society, could not take place this year due to the current pandemic, we would very much like to invite you to the online lecture Dr. Maarten Loonen planned as introduction to the course.

Global warming is most prominent in the Arctic with visible changes in ice and snow and enormous challenges for ecosystems and people to adapt to the new situation. Loss of the Arctic as we know it, coincides with new development in this area on conservation, cooperation, economic development, governance and security. Sustainable solutions require multidimensional knowledge and a prudent approach when coming from outside the Arctic, as new business opportunities should take account of the sensitivities of the natural environment and local and indigenous people.

During this online lecture Dr. Maarten Loonen will introduce you to the programme of the Winter school. We hope that this lecture will inspire you to join the Winter school which is rescheduled to January 2023. After the lecture there is some time for questions and discussion.

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Dr. Maarten Loonen is an Associate Professor in Arctic Ecology; Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen and manager of the Netherlands Arctic Station on Spitsbergen. For over forty years, he has been engaged as an Arctic ecologist in top-quality research on the ecology and behaviour of barnacle geese that are breeding in the Arctic.

Through this work, he gained an excellent reputation (both nationally and internationally) as an Arctic researcher with an extreme amount of knowledge about this very delicate region.

In 1995, dr. Maarten Loonen initiated the foundation of the Netherlands Arctic Station in Ny-Ålesund on Spitsbergen, the world’s most northerly village, where it is part of a small, international scientific community.

He participated in visits from politicians, administrators and other dignitaries, such as Ban Ki-Moon, John Kerry, Bert Koenders (ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs) and various royal highnesses. The Station is therefore known as the Dutch embassy in the ice.

In 1997, dr. Maarten Loonen was appointed Dutch representative in the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group, which focuses on the conservation of biodiversity in the Arctic. In this capacity, he has been making substantive contributions and giving advice to the Dutch ministries for almost 25 years.

The way in which Maarten is drawing attention to the Arctic’s problems also comes out strongly in his renewed vision to link public participation to unique scientific research during the largest Dutch Arctic expedition ever: the SEES Expedition. After years of fund-raising and planning, this expedition commenced in August 2015 and is planned again in 2022.

We look forward to meeting you on Thursday 27 January 2022!

Kindest regards,

The Arctic Centre

The Sustainable Society team