The University of Lapland team of the CAP-SHARE project has been strengthened with a planner

Sustainability expert and doctoral researcher Auni Haapala has started work as a planner in the CAP-SHARE project of the University of Lapland on 14 April 2026. Haapala will participate in the implementation of the project's workshops and other activities and produce project content, such as educational materials and policy recommendations, related to strengthening the participation of young people and local communities in the Arctic region in biodiversity issues.

Haapala's background is in multidisciplinary environmental research. She has previously worked in research and development projects dealing with the impacts of climate change at, for example, the City of Helsinki and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, examining in particular the intersections of land use, climate change and inequality. Since 2021, Haapala has been delving into local and regional environmental governance issues in the Arctic region as part of her doctoral research at the Gender Studies Unit of the University of Lapland.

The central objective of the Interreg NPA-funded CAP-SHARE project is to strengthen the agency of young people and local communities as well as intergenerational communication on issues of strengthening biodiversity in the Arctic region. In addition to the University of Lapland, the project – which runs until 2027 – is implemented by the Icelandic Museum of Natural History (coordinator) and the Norwegian Arctic Frontiers.

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