Recommendations

The CBMP is an adaptive, integrated monitoring program that provides timely information about status, trends, and changes in Arctic biodiversity and ecosystems.

Objective 2.1: Integrate lessons learned and advice for monitoring outlined in the SABRs into next steps of CBMP.

• Activity 1: After completion of major products such as SABRs, CBMP will initiate a scoping process to evaluate and prioritize FECs as indicators of change. This process will use lessons learned and SABR key findings and advice and result in a revised monitoring plan or long-term implementation plan.
• Activity 2: Review and consider lessons learned, when developing work plans.

Objective 2.2: Evaluate the effectiveness of existing and new methods and technologies as a tool to support biodiversity monitoring and assessment.

• Activity 1: Continue to improve and update Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans based upon the SABR advice and lessons learned.
• Activity 2: Explore the use of remote sensing and e-DNA in CBMP activities.
• Activity 3: Consider impacts of stressors and drivers, including cumulative impacts, within reviews of the Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans.•Activity 4: Consider how to understand the impact and effect of extreme events (e.g., wildfires, invasive species, extreme weather events etc.) on biodiversity, within revisions of Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans.

Objective 2.3: Identify expert networks relevant for CBMP.

• Activity 1: Invite relevant networks to participate in the CBMP, including regional, Indigenous, and citizen science networks, e.g., eBird, iNaturalist.
• Activity 2: Enhance engagement of experts from Observer states and organisations.

Objective 2.4: Increase access to Arctic biodiversity data.

• Activity 1: Further develop interoperability of the ABDS with national and global data centres to facilitate access to existing and new data.
• Activity 2: Continue to work with Steering Groups, Expert Networks, and partners (such as the Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure) to improve and consider issues of data access, visualization, metadata, comparison, and standardization.
• Activity 3: Develop a data management manual describing the flow of data from the field to CAFF assessments, including the harmonization of data across sites and scales.
• Activity 4: Increase the awareness of the ABDS amongst target audiences and other partners, including industry and other sectors.

Objective 2.5: Continue and strengthen cross-cutting activities among the CBMP Steering Groups.

• Activity 1: Hold bi-monthly telephone meetings between CBMP Co-leads and CBMP Steering Group Co-Chairs align and coordinate activities between CBMP Steering Groups. In-person meetings will also be held in conjunction with CAFF Board meetings when possible.
• Activity 2: Consider how to develop more targeted and integrated reporting
• Activity 3: Initiate steps to integrate work between the four groups.
• Activity 4: Design and develop a plan to include modelling and predictive science within CBMP, to be aligned with the 2023 CAFF Action Plan for Biodiversity.
• Activity 5: Conduct a landscape analysis of existing synergies within CBMP and other CAFF initiatives, as well as Arctic Council working groups, including the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) and the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME), to be aligned with the 2023 Action Plan for Biodiversity.

Objective 2.6: Via expert networks, develop user manuals and test implementation of CBMP Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans in the field.

• Activity 1: CBMP Terrestrial and Freshwater Groups will, together with the CAFF Secretariat and the CBMP Co-leads, continue to work on best practices for field trials on selected FECs and, as resources allow, produce site-specific user manuals at selected stations.
• Activity 2: CBMP Marine and Coastal Group will together with the CBMP co-leads consider how to replicate Activity 1 and/or implement these approaches into the Marine and Coastal Monitoring Plans.
• Activity 3: The CAFF Secretariat will, through the CAFF webpage and the ABDS, publish recommended methods and link to internationally agreed-upon standardized monitoring methods to implement CBMP monitoring at monitoring stations.

The CBMP is sustainable and its organizational structure facilitates achievement of its goals.

Objective 3.1: Program coordination and organization is sustainable.

• Activity 1: Improve capacity related to CBMP core functions and implementation through cost sharing methods.
• Activity 2: Ensure that each Steering Group continues to have a designated Coordinator to help with coordination and key deliverables.
• Activity 3: Sustain Steering Group structure including coordination or other needed support for each group, and ensure clear and timely scheduling of meetings, agendas, notes, etc.
• Activity 4: Align future production of Steering Group workplans in a similar format to facilitate integration efforts.
• Activity 5: Each CBMP Steering Group will continue to produce annual progress reports and workplans to help track progress and define future tasks.
• Activity 6: Facilitate that CBMP Steering Groups and Expert networks have the necessary participation as needed to implement CAFF Board-approved workplans.
• Activity 7: Evaluation of the CBMP Strategic Plan is a standing item on the CAFF Board meeting agendas.

Objective 3.2: CBMP is sustainable through relevancy.

• Activity 1: Conduct an evaluation, including a qualitative and where possible a quantitative evaluation on CBMP after further input from the CAFF Board.