CAFF SKRIFSTOFAN A ISLANDI

Their core work

CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) International Secretariat, based in Akureyri, Iceland, is the working group of the Arctic Council responsible for coordinating pan-Arctic biodiversity monitoring and conservation. Their core function is connecting scientists, field station managers, policymakers, and Indigenous communities across the eight Arctic states to track and respond to changes in Arctic ecosystems. In H2020, they contributed this unique governance network and policy interface role to the INTERACT project — the pan-Arctic network of terrestrial research stations providing transnational access to remote Arctic environments. They are not a research producer; they are the connective tissue between Arctic science and Arctic governance.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the first INTERACT phase (2016–2021), CAFF's contribution centred on specific ecosystem types — forest, alpine, lakes — and on enabling transnational access to field stations, with emphasis on biodiversity, climate feedbacks, and local adaptation as scientific outputs. In the second phase (2020–2024), the language shifted toward integrated infrastructure, education, outreach, and policy briefings, signalling a move from pure research facilitation toward knowledge dissemination and governance interfaces. The trajectory is clear: CAFF is evolving from a passive network node into an active broker between Arctic science and policy audiences.

CAFF is moving toward a communications and policy-brokering role, making them increasingly relevant as a dissemination and stakeholder engagement partner for any project that needs legitimacy and reach within Arctic governance circles.

How they like to work

CAFF participates exclusively as a consortium member, never as coordinator — consistent with a secretariat whose value lies in network access and political legitimacy rather than research leadership. Both projects are phases of the same large pan-Arctic network (INTERACT), meaning they operate comfortably within very large, geographically dispersed consortia. Working with them means gaining access to the Arctic Council governance layer and a pre-existing network of station managers and national monitoring programmes across all eight Arctic states.

CAFF's two INTERACT participations generated 71 unique consortium partners across 18 countries — a reflection of INTERACT's circumpolar reach spanning Scandinavia, Russia, North America, and sub-Arctic Europe. Their network is geographically one of the broadest of any H2020 participant relative to their project count.

What sets them apart

CAFF is the only H2020 participant that simultaneously holds a formal mandate under the Arctic Council — giving any consortium they join direct access to intergovernmental Arctic governance processes that no research institution can replicate independently. Their Akureyri secretariat acts as a permanent hub for the circumpolar biodiversity science community, making them the natural bridge between EU-funded Arctic research and Arctic Council policy outputs. For consortium builders, this translates to credible policy impact pathways and ready-made connections to national Arctic monitoring programmes in all eight Arctic states.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INTERACT (Phase 1)
  Longest and best-funded engagement (EUR 114,950, 2016–2021), placing CAFF at the heart of the pan-Arctic station network during a period of accelerating climate change research demand.
• INTERACT (Phase 2)
  Continued participation through 2024 confirms CAFF as a structurally embedded partner in European Arctic infrastructure — not a one-off collaborator — and reflects their growing education and outreach role.