Recommendations

Project	Type	#	Outcome	Report	Year
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	14	Recognize the value of traditional ecological knowledge and work to further integrate it into the assessment, planning and management of Arctic biodiversity. This includes involving Arctic peoples and their knowledge in the survey, monitoring and analysis of Arctic biodiversity.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Key finding	7	Overharvest was historically the primary human impact on many Arctic species, but sound management has successfully addressed this problem in most, but not all, cases.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	7	Develop and implement mechanisms that best safeguard Arctic biodiversity under changing environmental conditions, such as loss of sea ice, glaciers and permafrost. a. Safeguard areas in the northern parts of the Arctic where high Arctic species have a relatively greater chance to survive for climatic or geographical reasons, such as certain islands and mountainous areas, which can act as a refuge for unique biodiversity. 7.1. Develop options for safeguarding potential marine and terrestrial refuge areas, including areas that will maintain multi-year ice (related to AMSA IID). b. Maintain functional connectivity within and between protected areas in order to protect ecosystem resilience and facilitate adaptation to climate change. 7.2. Assess options and recommend most effective methods to manage connectivity, in light of climate change, including identification of sub-populations, species and regions for which connectivity is most critical (including for increasing genetic resilience). 7.3. Identify management actions that will enhance resilience of species in adapting to rapid change.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	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.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Key finding	9	The challenges facing Arctic biodiversity are interconnected, requiring comprehensive solutions and international cooperation.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Key finding	2	Climate change is by far the most serious threat to Arctic biodiversity and exacerbates all other threats.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	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.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
	Advice		Expand both the marine and terrestrial protected areas network and monitor its effectiveness at safeguarding biodiversity.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Biodiversity policy in the Arctic has to reflect the needs of people living in the Arctic, many of whom are indigenous.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Include biodiversity as a fundamental component of Environmental Impact Assessment, StrategicEnvironmental Assessment and risk assessment in the Arctic.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Biodiversity policy in the Arctic has to reflect the needs of people living in the Arctic, many of whom are indigenous.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Biodiversity underpins sustainable development in the Arctic, including economic, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions. Although there is widespread understanding of the importance of economic development for the well-being of Arctic peoples, there is less understanding of the importance of biodiversity for human well-being, including livelihoods, food security and ecosystem services. Economic development in the Arctic should proceed within the constraints of ensuring the long term sustainability of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Mainstream biodiversity; build partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders to seek innovative solutions and expand the responsibility for taking care of biodiversity.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Develop realistic scenarios to help predict what could happen, given different policy options, in the short term (10 to 15 years) and the long term (over 50 years).	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Conservation of Arctic biodiversity is a global issue, as so much that happens outside the Arctic affects what happens inside the Arctic and vice versa. Migratory species provide a good basis to develop the partnerships necessary to ensure the long term viability of shared species, and at the same time to increase awareness of the shared global heritage that Arctic biodiversity represents.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Develop tools for data sharing so that data collected can be used by a wide range of people engaged in Arctic biodiversity science, policy and management.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		There is a wide gap between what we know and how we act. Although research to fill gaps in knowledge is still needed, there is enough knowledge about what needs to be done to act now. A companion to this message is the urgent need to shorten the time it takes for scientific understanding to be translated into policy in the Arctic.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Implement Ecosystem Based Management in marine, terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Conservation of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services it provides requires a long-term perspective and sustained actions at many different temporal and spatial scales.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Include biodiversity in national accounting so that the true value of healthy Arctic ecosystems is understood, and the true costs of biodiversity loss are accounted for.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014