Arctic tundra ecosystems are sensitive to direct anthropogenic impacts from trampling. On Svalbard, such pressures will likely increase under expansion of the tourism and research sectors. The government of Svalbard has the ambition to minimize adverse anthropogenic impacts, but there is a need for quantitative data to make informed decisions. In this study, we quantify the impacts of human trampling due to research activities in three distinct landscape types in Adventdalen and Endalen. Through logging of research visits and paired measurements in control vs. trampled plots we quantify impacts on permafrost thaw depth, topsoil compaction and thermal insulation, CO2exchange and plant community composition, productivity, stature and biomass. Human trampling was associated with measurable but often non-significant effects on thaw depth, air-soil thermal coupling, and soil subsidence. Overall, loose soils, but also either dry soils with thin organic layers or wet soils with thick organic layers were more susceptible to human trampling, evident from compaction and reduced topsoil thermal insulation. Furthermore, human trampling caused increases in ecosystem respiration in some sites but divergent responses of gross primary production, suggesting local controls of CO2 exchange dynamics. Vegetation height was significantly lower in trampled plots in all locations, and vegetation biomass showed a tendency across locations for lower biomass in trampled plots. Species composition was not strongly affected, beside a tendency for reductions in mosses, forbs and lichens. Plant productivity (NDVI) showed an increase under trampling in a wet tundra meadow site in early summer, potentially resulting from trampling of pre-existing standing dead vegetation and rapid regrowth of graminoids. We conclude that low trampling levels associated with research activities (70 – 150 total passes around the plots over the course of several years) lead to noticeable but small and often temporary or insignificant environmental changes. The wet lowland tundra meadow showed strongest adverse effects. Continued monitoring of ecosystem recovery is advised, as well as further experiments with variable trampling intensities. Careful planning and responsible outdoor practices, as well as avoiding wet tundra meadows, areas with abundant lichens and areas with loose soil structures, can likely mitigate the worst trampling damage to the tundra. These results can be used to improve decision-making and understanding during recreational and research activities on Svalbard, contributing to a more sustainable human presence in this pristine and vulnerable ecosystem.