Arctic Council Working Group Recommendations
| Project | Type | # | Outcome | Report | Year | FEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | “Black” geese (Branta) number c. 13.7 million individuals of 27 populations from 5 species, of which 19 populations show stable or increasing trends over the last 10 years. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | To interpret changes in population size, there is an increasing need to understand whether these are due to shifts in range, changes in reproductive success or changes in annual survival. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Most estimates derive from total counts of all individuals, 8 populations combine some form of capture-mark-recapture approach (almost exclusively in North America) but 15 populations are based upon expert opinion, mostly in East and Central Asia. Less than half of the estimates for all populations were thought to fall within 10% of the true totals. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | There is a very clear need to establish or expand annual reporting on population size and demographic trends to make such information accessible to decision makers and stakeholders in a timely fashion. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | In North America, population estimates are good; trends are generally of the best quality and most populations are increasing or stable. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | This audit suggests that there are between 39.0 and 39.2 million wild geese in the northern hemisphere belonging to 68 populations of 15 species. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | In Central and Eastern Asia, where the greatest declines are suspected, good population estimates and count data series over sufficient long time horizons to offer a robust basis for generating trends are generally lacking, with the notable exception of excellent count data from Korea and Japan. However, the situation is rapidly improving in China, where count networks and coordination with flyway partners are being established. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | “White” geese (Chen) are most numerous (17.2 million individuals of 3 species) and all 6 populations have increased in the last 10 years. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | The most urgent priorities for the future are to (i) improve our knowledge of population distributions to better inform our definitions of discrete flyway populations; (ii) implement effective mechanisms to at least periodically measure abundance for all northern hemisphere goose populations to assess trends over time; (iii) initiate research to identify factors responsible for declining trends in populations of concern, and (iv) evaluate potential negative effects of overabundant goose populations on habitat and sympatric species. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | “Grey” geese (Anser) comprise 35 populations of 8.1-8.4 million individuals, of which 15 have declined in the last 10 years, especially in East Asia. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | For this reason we urge wider gathering of age ratio data, and marking programmes to provide annual assessments of reproductive success and survival, particularly amongst populations showing declines. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Most populations showed increasing or stable trends over the last 10 years, but our ability to truly judge these trends is highly variable among populations. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Most European populations are increasing or stable, yet several populations lack effective count coordination networks to generate annual assessments of total population size and trends. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | All but one of the populations number between 1000 and 10 million individuals. Only the Western Palearctic population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose lies on the brink of extinction with just over 100 individuals, and only the midcontinent population of lesser snow geese in North America exceeds 10 million adults. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Many populations with the poorest population information are those which we suspect are showing the greatest declines. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | C | Continue to improve and make available information and data. a. Review, evaluate, and update the CBMP and its monitoring plans, including the parameters and attributes, sampling methods, data management, and reporting in accordance with the CBMP Strategy. External review every 10 years, starting in 2020. b. Continue implementation the CBMP and its ecosystem-based biodiversity monitoring plans. c. Establish, develop and maintain the ABDS as the supporting framework to facilitate long-term data sharing and as a source of data for modelling and ecosystem-based management. d. Develop and apply standards of the Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and further develop use of remote sensing. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | 16 | Research and monitor individual and cumulative effects of stressors and drivers of relevance to biodiversity, with a focus on stressors that are expected to have rapid and significant impacts and issues where knowledge is lacking. This should include, but not be limited to, modelling potential future species range changes as a result of these stressors; developing knowledge of and identifying tipping points, thresholds and cumulative effects for Arctic biodiversity; and developing robust quantitative indicators for stressors through the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program. 16.1. Analyse the state of knowledge and data on cumulative effects and identify priorities, adding the biotic parameters to abiotic work. 16.2. Consider impacts of stressors and drivers within the scheduled reviews of the CBMP ecosystem monitoring plans. 16.3. Continue to develop and report on key robust indicators of Arctic biodiversity, in particular ones that can be used to track and understand cumulative effects. a. Update the Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010; selected indicators of change report b. Land cover Change Index c. Protected areas using data from CAFF and PAME d. Arctic Migratory Bird Index e. Invasive species. 16.4 Improve predictive capacity through increased observations, research, scenarios and models as tools for understanding of processes governing changes in the Arctic and influencing future decisions. 16.5. Update the 2011 assessment on Arctic Ocean Acidification, including the extent andbiological effects and case studies of impacts in specific Arctic areas (Assessment of ArcticOcean Acidification). 16.6. Assess the combined effects of contaminants and climate change. 16.7. Assess the effects on marine mammals of ship noise, disturbance and strikes in Arcticmarine waters and, where needed, develop and mitigation strategies (AMSA IIG). 16.8. Based on current work by the CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment (CARMA) Network, develop an example of an ecosystem approach to cumulative effects from a keystone species’ perspective, integrating, over the species annual range, effects from climate change, infrastructure and human activity. The emphasis is on: 1) the assessment framework, 2) standardized monitoring protocols, 3) model-based assessment tools, and 4) application to ecosystem-based management and sensitive habitat protection and management. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | 9 | Reduce the threat of invasive alien/non-native species to the Arctic by developing and implementing common measures for early detection and reporting, identifying and blocking pathways of introduction,and sharing best practices and techniques for monitoring, eradication and control. This includes supporting international efforts currently underway, for example those of the International Maritime Organization to effectively treat ballast water to clean and treat ship hulls and drilling rigs. 9.1. Develop a strategy for the prevention and management of invasive species across the Arctic, including the identification and mitigation of pathways of introduction invasions. Include involvement of Indigenous observing networks, which include invasive and newspecies reporting, to assist with early detection. 9.2. Incorporate common protocols for early detection and reporting of non-native invasive species in the Arctic into CBMP monitoring plans. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | 2 | Incorporate resilience and adaptation of biodiversity to climate change into plans for development in the Arctic. 2.1. Prepare a reference guide for resource managers on sea-ice-associated biodiversity in times of rapid change (Life Linked to Ice). 2.2. Arctic Resilience Report. 2.3. Prepare three regional assessments with information to assist local decision-makers andstakeholders to develop adaptation tools and strategies to deal with climate change andother environmental stressors and produce an overall integrated report on adaptationactions (Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA) Part C). 2.4. Ensure accessibility of science results relevant to maintaining and increasing resilience ofbiodiversity to climate change through the ABDS and outreach. 2.5. Follow-up on the recommendations of the Life linked to Ice and related research. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | 11 | Reduce the threat of pollutants to Arctic biodiversity. a. Support and enhance international efforts and cooperation to identify, assess and reduce existing and emerging harmful contaminants. 11.1. Provide information necessary for assessment of trends in, among others, contaminant levels in ecosystems, biological effects, and improve predictive capacity (Trends and Effects Monitoring Programme). 11.2. Prepare an update assessment of Persistent Organic Pollutants and resulting biological effects. 11.3. Develop ecosystem models that project ecosystem response to climate change and contaminant-related factors (AACA-C). b. Support the development of appropriate prevention and clean up measures and technologies that are responsive to oil spills in the Arctic, especially in ice-filled waters, such that they are ready for implementation in advance of major oil and gas developments. 11.4. Implement the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution, Preparedness andResponse in the Arctic , including executing international exercises and maintaining and updating the Operational Guidelines. 11.5. Prepare a Guide to Oil Spill Response in Snow and Ice Conditions in the Arctic. c. Encourage local and national action to implement best practices for local wastes, enhance efforts to clean-up legacy contaminated sites and include contaminant reduction and reclamation plans in development projects. 11.6. Demonstrate rapid assessment and clean-up of old sites, and environmentally sounddestruction of obsolete pesticides in northern Russia. 11.7. Organize an information conference on best practices on contaminant reduction in Indigenous communities. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 |