Poleward expansion of human activities exacerbates Arctic ecological crisis
Journal article, 2026
The Arctic has experienced rapid and profound changes due to its heightened sensitivity to global warming and growing regional human pressures. While past research has advanced our understanding of these transformations, a comprehensive assessment within a unified analytical framework is still needed to quantify the ecological impacts of human activity across this fragile region. In this study, we systematically assessed the expansion of human activity and its ecological effects across Arctic and sub-Arctic regions from 2000 to 2020. We combined satellite-based land-cover datasets, vegetation resilience indicator (i.e., lag-1 month temporal autocorrelation of remotely sensed greenness), and species distribution data to track and analyze these changes and impacts. Our findings show that areas affected by human activity—mainly cultivated lands and artificial surfaces—expanded by nearly 13,000 km², equivalent to a rate of 1.8 % per decade. This growth was largely driven by the increase in artificial surfaces (∼77.2 %) and extended to higher latitude. As a result, natural habitats became increasingly fragmented, vegetation resilience declined, and risks of ecological tipping points rose. These impacts threatened the habitats of approximately 97.5 % of Arctic species, including 111 species listed as vulnerable or endangered. Our results highlight that, beyond the effects of climate change, the continued expansion of human activity is intensifying ecological risks in the Arctic. This underscores an urgent need for enhanced ecological protection and transformative social strategies to safeguard the region’s future.
Human activity expansion
Biodiversity loss
Habitat fragmentation
Arctic change
Vegetation resilience
Author
Bo Su
University of Gothenburg
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Beijing Normal University
Haipeng Feng
Beijing Normal University
Deliang Chen
Tsinghua University
Guoyan Yang
Beijing Normal University
Xinrong Yan
China Waterborne Transport Research Institute
Xiaona Wang
Beijing Normal University
Hans Chen
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Ziqian Zhong
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Lan Wang-Erlandsson
The Royal Swedish Academy of Science
Stockholm University
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Juan Carlos Rocha
Stockholm Resilience Centre
The Royal Swedish Academy of Science
Stockholm University
Tinghai Ou
University of Gothenburg
Amy Lauren Lovecraft
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Xin Li
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Bin He
Beijing Normal University
Song Xu
Beijing Normal University
Hongyu Zhao
Southwest Petroleum University China
Chao Yang
Shenzhen University
Jianbang Wang
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tingfeng Dou
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Minghu Ding
Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS)
Bin Chen
Beijing Normal University
Cunde Xiao
Beijing Normal University
Geography and Sustainability
20967438 (ISSN) 26666839 (eISSN)
Vol. 7 4 100481Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Environmental Sciences
Physical Geography
Ecology
DOI
10.1016/j.geosus.2026.100481