Recommendations

Project Type # Outcome Report Year FEC
CBMP Freshwater Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Monitoring Methods

  • Harmonize sampling approaches among countries and select appropriate sampling methods andequipment to balance between maintaining consistency and comparability with historical data andalignment with common methods used across the Arctic.
  • Use a regionalized approach based on ecoregions to guide the spatial distribution of sample stations and, ultimately, provide better assessments.
  • Ensure spatial coverage of sampled ecoregions is sufficient to address the overarching monitoring questions of the CBMP across the Arctic and provide sufficient replication.
  • Maintain time series at key locations, and fill gaps where monitoring data are sparse.
  • Develop supplementary monitoring methods that provide better standardized estimates of biodiversity to maximize the likelihood of detecting new and/or invasive species.
  • Make use of recent advances in emerging technologies, including environmental DNA (eDNA) methods and remote sensing approaches.
  • Standardize data storage practices and provide access through a common data source like GBIF.
State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2016
CBMP Freshwater Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Traditional Knowledge (TK)

  • Engage with Indigenous communities to work towards identifying and integrating their TK into efforts to assess Arctic freshwater biodiversity, including change over time.
  • Incorporate TK as an integral part of circumpolar monitoring and observational networks.
State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2016
CBMP Freshwater Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Citizen Science

  • Engage local communities in monitoring activities through citizen science and incorporate local knowledge as an integral part of future circumpolar monitoring and observational networks.
  • Interact with local communities to enhance outreach to the public (youth in particular) and develop common observational tools.
  • Provide material for training and educational purposes for local residents at all age levels.
State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2016
CBMP Freshwater Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Monitoring Design and Assessment

  • Establish a circumpolar monitoring network based on a hub-and-spoke model in remote areas.
  • Increase focus on the response of biotic communities to environmental changes by designing monitoring to address impact hypotheses developed in the CBMP-Freshwater Plan.
  • Ensure that the CBMP Freshwater group continues to serve as the focal point for the development and implementation of Arctic, freshwater biodiversity monitoring.
  • Provide resources to maintain and build the CBMP freshwater database for future assessments in order to maximize the benefits of this database.
  • Efforts should be made to document and preserve data from short-term research projects, research expeditions, industrial, university and government programs and to make these data accessible to the public.
  • Status assessments of Arctic lakes and rivers must explore the close association of biodiversity with spatial patterns of physical and chemical quality of aquatic habitats that can drive biological systems.
  • CBMP-Freshwater database allows the identification of predominant sampling approaches across the Arctic and should be used to inform the development of harmonized monitoring approaches.
  • Where valuable long-term data series exist, these should be given high priority in monitoring programs, to continue to provide data for the detection of long-term trends and changes in biodiversity.
State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2016
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingFood resources are being lost for many Arctic species in Arctic marine environments. Many species have to travel further and expend more energy to feed, leading to concerns about individual health and potential effects at the population levelState of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingSome Arctic species are shifting their ranges northwards to seek more favourable conditions as the Arctic warms. These movements pose unknown consequences for Arctic species and their interactions, such as predation and competition.State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingNorthward movement is easier for more mobile openwater species. Open water species such as polar cod, are more mobile compared to those linked to shelf regions, such as benthic species including some fishes for which suitable habitat may be unavailable if they move northward.State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingIncreasing numbers and diversity of southern species are moving into Arctic waters. In some cases, they may outcompete and prey on Arctic species, or offer a less nutritious food source for Arctic species. State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingCurrent trends indicate that species reliant on sea ice for reproduction, resting or foraging will experience range reductions as sea ice retreat occurs earlier and the open water season is prolonged.State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingArctic marine species and ecosystems are undergoing pressure from cumulative changes in their physical, chemical and biological environment.State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringKey findingIncreases in the frequency of contagious diseases are being observedState of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Coordination: Better coordination allows for increased value for investment in monitoring programs, better opportunity to compare results, and more ability to draw meaningful conclusions from data:

  • Strategically locate Arctic research stations and monitoring vessels, and use all collected specimens, to allow the collection and analysis of as many CBMP FECs as possible.
  • Ensure research stations operate all year to better study FECs year round.
  • Combine national monitoring with collaborative approaches that allow for sufficient integration and standardization to conduct syntheses across the circumpolar region.
  • Standardize how data are collected, managed and made available. This is a key component in ensuring circumpolar Arctic comparability and should be an important consideration in the implementation of monitoring plans.
  • Encourage states to increase the implementation of existing internationally coordinated monitoring plans.
  • Connect monitoring initiatives and report across scales so that results are meaningful for local, sub-national, national, regional and global decision-makers.
  • Continue to increase coordination between CBMP and other regional and global monitoring initiatives e.g., the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEOBON), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service (IPBES).
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdviceMethods: Increased attention to methodology allows for more precise and comparable results, standardized data collection, and ability to link regional monitoring to circumpolar efforts: -- Ensure that Arctic monitoring programs are ecosystem-based and include as many CBMP FECs as possible to include functionally important taxonomic groups and improve our understanding of how the ecosystem functions, and how its components are related. Such monitoring programs can serve to underpin management of human activities in the Arctic marine environment.-- Standardize methodology, including taxonomic identification in order to allow production of comparable data and results. -- Ensure training of personnel performing sampling and analyses. State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Traditional and Local Knowledge (TLK): Utilizing Traditional and Local Knowledge and involvement of TK holders allows for increased understanding of relationships and changes underway in Arctic ecosystems, current and historical trends, and serves to build valuable partnerships on the ground in Arctic communities.

  • Use Traditional and Local Knowledge within the design and implementation of monitoring plans. The Traditional and Local Knowledge of people living along and off the Arctic Ocean is an invaluable resource for understanding changes in Arctic marine ecosystems and its inclusion should be supported by national governments.
  • Increase engagement and partnerships with local residents and easy to access technology in monitoring programs. Indigenous communities are important ‘first responders’ to catastrophic events. More importantly, their knowledge systems provide a wealth of knowledge that should be involved in the analysis of collected data for increased understanding of current trends and filling historical gaps.
  • There is a need for TLK on a range of FECs and to engage networks of TLK holders and Indigenous organisations.
  • Use both TLK and scientific information on the analysis of harvest levels and status when evaluating overall population health and managing hunts.
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Knowledge gaps: Filling gaps in knowledge helps us better understand key elements and functions of the ecosystem that can help explain change and understand the system:

  • Encourage the monitoring of relevant physical parameters alongside some FECs that are particularly sensitive to their effects, including sea ice biota and plankton.
  • Expand monitoring programs to include important taxonomic groups and key ecosystem functions. These gaps are likely due to logistical challenges or lack of expertise in specific fields.
  • Expand monitoring programs to include those utilizing both TK and science, involvement of Indigenous organizations and build capacity to provide a co-production of knowledge platform.
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Community-based monitoring networks and community relationship building:

  • Increase the span of networks in the CBMP to include Community-based monitoring networks.
  • Communicate information on changes and the results of monitoring between scientists and the public in both directions. This is crucial to the development of effective management strategies and human activities.
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Sea ice biota

  • Establish an annual monitoring programme from land fast sea ice at selected Arctic field stations in Canada (Resolute, Cambridge Bay), Greenland (Kobbefjord, Disko Bay, Zackenberg), Norway (Kongsfjorden, Billefjorden, Van Mijenfjorden), and the U.S. (Barrow).
  • Establish a standardized monitoring protocol, including sample collection, preservation, microscopic and genetic analyses, taxonomic harmonization, and data sharing.
  • Establish opportunistic monitoring from drifting sea ice during cruises of opportunity.
  • Collect macrofauna samples in drifting sea ice via ship-based activities, scuba diving, electrical suction pumps, under-ice trawl nets, and remotely operated vehicles.
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvicePlankton• Follow standardized protocols for monitoring plankton, including sample collection and preservation, microscopic and genetic analyses with taxonomic harmonization.• Ensure that full data sharing occurs between scientists, and is deposited in publicly-accessible nationaldata centers. Continue to consolidate older data.• Train highly qualified personnel to perform plankton sampling and species-level analyses, including theuse of molecular techniques.• Establish long-term funded annual monitoring programmes of plankton from selected Arctic field stations or Arctic campaigns/cruises in Canada, the U.S. and Russia, which together with the ongoing monitoring in Greenland, Iceland and Norway will secure a pan-Arctic coverage. • Develop species indexes and if possible, identify indicator taxa for monitoring.State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Benthos

  • Develop a time- and cost-effective, long-term and standardized monitoring of megabenthic communities in all Arctic regions using regular national groundfish assessment surveys. Expanding monitoring on micro-, meio- and macrobenthic groups is encouraged.
  • Gather information from research programs in regions without regular groundfish-shellfish trawl surveys. These are usually short-term and do not guarantee spatial consistency in sampling, but provide valuable information on benthic biodiversity and community patterns.
  • Generate information on benthos from little-known regions, such as the Arctic Basin and Arctic Archipelago, on cryptic or difficult taxonomic groups, and on biological “hotspots”.
  • Systematic studies of macrobenthos (grab investigations) and megabenthos (trawl bycatch of regular fishery surveys including both annual studies, as in the Atlantic Arctic, and periodic studies as in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas) are the most suitable and practical approach to long-term monitoring.
  • Standardize methodology, including taxonomic identification, across regions to assist in regional comparisons.
  • Recognize and support the use of TLK as an invaluable resource for understanding of changes in Arctic benthic communities.
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
CBMP Marine Biodiversity MonitoringAdvice

Marine fishes

  • Conduct pan-Arctic taxonomic analyses to clarify zoogeographic patterns that are important for detecting and understanding change.
  • Establish and conduct a monitoring plan that is independent of fisheries-related programs to assess changes in fish abundance and distributions. Use information from non-commercial fish species caught in groundfish surveys to provide a first step in this direction.
  • Use information from TK holders for monitoring marine fishes.
  • Connect monitoring initiatives across scales.
  • Conduct laboratory studies to examine the possible effects of abiotic and biotic changes (e.g. temperature, salinity, acidity and diseases) on fish species
  • Ensure that data on fisheries (commercial as well as artisanal) are accurate and registered in catch databases (such as the Food Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations). Information from logbooks is also relevant as it can be used to estimate the bycatch and the effects of fisheries.
State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring2017
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