Elana Wilson Rowe

Research Professor

Dr Elana Wilson Rowe is research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Wilson Rowe’s research and expertise areas include governance of nature and changing power relations in the Anthropocene, Arctic and ocean governance and geopolitics, and Russian climate and Arctic policymaking. Her publications explore how the interplay of diplomatic practices, security rivalries and expert/environmental knowledge shape outcomes and understandings in regional and global policy fields.

She is the author of Russian Climate Politics: When Science Meets Policy (Palgrave, 2013) and Arctic Governance: Power in cross-border relations (University of Manchester, 2018). She was a member of Norway’s committee establishing research priorities for the UN Ocean Decade. She holds a BA in Russian and Geography from Middlebury College (USA) and an MPhil and PhD in Geography/Polar Studies from the University of Cambridge (2006). More publications and links can be found on Google Scholar.

Wilson Rowe is PI of and leads a 5- year major grant from the European Research Council (#80335, read more about the Lorax project here or on Twitter with #loraxprojectERC). The aim of this project is to understand the broader regional and global repercussions of governance efforts anchored in sub-global ‘ecosystems’ or ‘ecoregions’ (as identified by adjacent actors) and how the power relations enacted around ecosystems shape regional and global ordering. The project has some global review elements and focuses on three key cases: the Arctic, the Amazon and the Caspian Sea. Wilson Rowe has also led projects funded by the Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.

Education

2002-2006 D. Phil., human geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

2001-2002 M. Phil., human geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

1997-2001 B.A., Geography/Russian, Middlebury College, Vermont, USA

Work Experience

2006- Senior Research Fellow/Research Professor, NUPI

2006- Senior research fellow, NUPI 2010- Adjunct Professor at Nord University

2002-2006 Teaching Assistant/Supervisor, Geography Department, University of Cambridge

Publications All publications

Considering ecological security from the perspective of Arctic ecosystemic politics
Publication | 2023
- Elana Wilson Rowe
This brief essay is part of a book forum on Matt McDonald's book (2021) presenting the idea of ecological security. In the essay, I reflect on1
Ecosystems and Ordering: Exploring the Extent and Diversity of Ecosystem Governance
Publication | 2023
- Cristiana Maglia
- Elana Wilson Rowe
This article argues that, to grasp how global ordering will be impacted by planetary-level changes, we need to systematically attend to the question1
Navigating Breakup: Security realities of freezing politics and thawing landscapes in the Arctic
Publication : Report | 2023
- Karsten Friis
- Elana Wilson Rowe
- Ulf Sverdrup
- Mike Sfraga
- Pavel K. Baev
- Troy J. Bouffard
- Marc Lanteigne
- Marisol Maddox
- Jan-Gunnar Winther
Russia’s re-invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has had immediate and ongoing effects for Arctic security and cooperative governance at both a regio1
Space, nature and hierarchy: the ecosystemic politics of the Caspian Sea
Publication | 2022
- Paul Beaumont
- Elana Wilson Rowe
The Anthropocene has given rise to growing efforts to govern the world’s ecosystems. There is a hitch, however, ecosystems do not respect sovereign b1
A Governance and Risk Inventory for a Changing Arctic
Publication : Report | 2020
- Elana Wilson Rowe
- Ulf Sverdrup
- Karsten Friis
- Geir Hønneland
Background Paper for the Arctic Security Roundtable at the Munich Security Conference 2020

Projects All projects

Arctic Pressures (ArcPres)
Research project | 2022 - 2025 (Ongoing)
Russia’s reinvasion of Ukraine in 2022 precipitated a challenging new chapter for Arctic political and security dynamics. Going forward, security and governance developments in the region will continu...
Security policy Climate Diplomacy Foreign policy International organizations Oceans Russia and Eurasia Europe North America The Nordic countries
Munich Security Forum - Arctic Security Roundtable (MSF - ASR)
Research project | 2020 - 2023 (Ongoing)
This roundtable is organized by the MSC in cooperation with NUPI and Wilson Centre....
Security policy Conflict Defence Governance Climate Energy International organizations The EU NATO Russia and Eurasia North America Europe The Arctic The Nordic countries Oceans
The Lorax Project: Understanding Ecosystemic Politics (LORAX)
Research project | 2018 - 2023 (Ongoing)
Do regional politics around border-crossing ecosystems share important resemblances and differ in significant ways from global politics?...
Governance Oceans Diplomacy The Arctic Russia and Eurasia Climate South and Central America International organizations
The International Panel on Arctic Environmental Responsibility
Research project | 2018 - 2021 (Completed)
The International Panel on Arctic Environmental Responsibility is an independent and free-standing body tasked with assessing the environmental status of oil, gas, and mining companies in the Arctic....
The Arctic Climate Energy
The Market for Anarchy
Research project | 2018 - 2022 (Ongoing)
The Market for Anarchy project seeks to better understand how state behaviour is shaped by assessments of and responses to different types of risks. ...
Security policy Conflict Governance International economics Climate International organizations

Events All events

Are we making progress on reducing Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing? Challenges and Measures
Event
Wed 27 Apr 2022
Time: 16:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: C.J. Hambrosplass 2 D / Livestream to Facebook and Youtube
This seminar seeks to take stock of the progress made by states, regional organizations, and their international partners in reducing IUU fishing, discuss the most successful measures available so far, and reflect on the main challenges of such an endeavour and what can be done differently.
Governing oceans in an age of global shifts
Event
Mon 17 Jun 2019
Time: 08:30 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPI
How can we ensure that the oceans are governed in a secure and sustainable way? How can coastal states like Norway use the oceans to increase their economic growth? Welcome to this seminar and launch of NUPI’s new Center for Ocean Governance.
Theory seminar: Science, technology, and ideas of expansive territorial sovereignty in Western international relations
Event
Wed 31 Jan 2018
Time: 14:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPI
Justiina Dahl visits NUPI to talk about what failed attempts to settle the Arctic can tell us about norm development in the international system
Corporate Social Responsibility for Petroleum in Northern Norway and the Russian Arctic
Event
Tue 3 Nov 2015
Time: 10:30 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPI
Communities and governments hold diverse expectations regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) for Arctic oil and gas. This seminar features two presentations adrressing this topic.
Norway's Russia policy: Realistic or idealistic?
Event
Tue 4 Dec 2012
Time: 10:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: Litteraturhuset, Henrik Wergeland-salen
How has Norway's policy towards Russia developed over the last 20 year? Is it governed by interests, values or both? And how successful is our Russia policy?