At the Minsterial meeting in Alta, Norway (1997), the Ministers welcomed the Cooperative Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Arctic Region and noted the intention of CAFF to give it effect through the development of a Strategic Plan for the Conservation of Arctic Biological Diversity, a long-term plan based on the five priority objectives extracted from the Cooperative Strategy:

1. Enhance efforts to monitor Arctic biodiversity, paying particular attention to species, populations, habitats and ecosystems which are of the greatest ecological, cultural, social, economic or scientific value
2. Support and implement measures for the conservation of Arctic genetic resources, species and their habitats
3. Establish protected areas in the Arctic region where they contribute to the conservation of ecosystems, habitats and species
4. Manage activities outside of protected areas in order to maintain the ecological integrity of protected areas and to ensure the conservation of biodiversity
5. Enhance integration of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use objectives into sectoral and cross-sectoral plans and policies. Identify approaches and develop strategies by which information on the conservation of Arctic biological diversity can be made available in an appropriate manner to those making socio-economic decisions

Although the Strategic Plan for the Conservation of Arctic Biological Diversity was intended to provide overall direction to CAFF only until 2001, it continues to inform CAFF's work through established principles and identified actions to fulfill the five priority objectives.