Recommendations
| Project | Type | # | Outcome | Report | Year | FEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Map biodiversity hot spots and biologically and ecologically sensitive areas at a scale appropriate for industry to use in their planning. | Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report | 2014 | |||
| 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 | 3 | Observations from those spending much time on the land and sea are necessary in not only understanding local environmental change but also in understanding the effects of environmental changes on human well-being and traditional practices | Project Summary: Bering Sea Sub-Network II | 2015 | ||
| Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | Action | 3 | Advance enabling conditions to support implementation of actions. 3.1 Strengthen opportunities to inform and interact with international and national processes. 3.2 Strengthen Arctic Council and CAFF networks to better address biodiversity conservation and ensure engagement of key partners. 3.3 Mobilize people, funding and infrastructure to support implementation. 3.4 Improve communication on the importance of Arctic biodiversity and sustainable management, including challenges, needs and successes. 3.5 Support the participation of Indigenous Peoples and the Permanent Participants, to enable continued Indigenous-led conservation and management of Arctic biodiversity. 3.6 Support mainstreaming biodiversity, including in sectors driving biodiversity loss and/or of importance in the Arctic. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | 2025 | |
| Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | Action | 2 | Promote sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity. 2.1 Enhance science and Indigenous Knowledge and monitoring to support sustainable management of species and ecosystems. 2.2 Contribute to sustainable management of species and ecosystems, using an ecosystem approach. 2.3 Protect and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples including the rights to use, manage, and conserve their lands and waters. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | 2025 | |
| Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | Action | 4 | Establish a monitoring and evaluation framework for implementation of the actions for Arctic biodiversity. 4.1 Develop indicators to monitor implementation of the Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, assess and evaluate effectiveness of implementation, and report in relevant fora. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | 2025 | |
| Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | Action | 1 | Address individual and cumulative effects of stressors and drivers of Arctic biodiversity loss. 1.1 Enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation through ecosystem-based approaches and nature-based solutions to minimize the impact of climate change on Arctic biodiversity. 1.2 Contribute to reducing the threats of pollution to Arctic biodiversity. 1.3 Provide scientific knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge to support management actions to enable recovery and conservation of species and ecosystems. 1.4 Support efforts to minimize the threat of invasive alien/non-native species to Arctic biodiversity. 1.5 Contribute to area-based conservation measures including Indigenous-led and managed, protected, or conserved areas, and restoration of degraded Arctic ecosystems. 1.6 Promote appropriate measures to reduce human disturbances. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity 2025-2035 | 2025 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Key finding | 5 | Changes in Arctic biodiversity are creating both challenges and opportunities for Arctic peoples. | Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010 – Selected indicators of change | 2010 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Recommendation | 13 | Increase and focus inventory, long-term monitoring and research efforts to address key gaps in scientific knowledge identified in this assessment to better facilitate the development and implementation of conservation and management strategies. Areas of particular concern identified through the ABA include components critical to ecosystem functions including important characteristics of invertebrates, microbes, parasites and pathogens. | Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers | 2013 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Recommendation | 8 | Reduce stressors on migratory species range-wide, including habitat degradation and overharvesting on wintering and staging areas and along flyways and other migration routes. a. Pursue or strengthen formal migratory bird cooperation agreements and other specific actions on a flyway level between Arctic and non-Arctic states with first priority given to the East Asian flyway. b. Collaborate with relevant international commissions, conventions, networks and other organizations sharing an interest in the conservation of Arctic migratory species to identify and implement appropriate conservation actions. 8.1. Establish an Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative (AMBI) to cooperate on the conservation of migratory Arctic birds and prepare collaborative flyway based work plans. 8.2. Broker commitments by non-Arctic countries to safeguarding important Arctic migratory bird habitats outside the Arctic, as part of the AMBI. c. Develop and implement joint management and recovery plans for threatened species with relevant non-Arctic states and entities. 8.3. Identify species that could benefit from, but are not covered by, range-wide adaptive management strategies and follow-up as appropriate. 8.4. Inventory on-going seabird projects and develop a common reporting template for all seabird conservation strategies. 8.5. Continue implementation of existing species conservation strategies and develop others as appropriate (Black-legged Kittiwakes, caribou). 8.6. Investigate the impact of shipping and off-shore development on seabirds. d. Identify and advance the conservation of key wintering and staging habitats for migratory birds, particularly wetlands. | Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers | 2013 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Key finding | 6 | Work to remove institutional barriers and improve processes for the inclusion of TK&W and involvement of Arctic indigenous peoples. | Arctic Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: Changes in the North American Arctic | 2017 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Recommendation | 4 | Target resource managers when communicating research, monitoring and assessment findings. Increase efforts to communicate results of research and monitoring relevant to conservation of sea-ice associated biodiversity. Focus particularly on meeting the information needs of those making on-the-ground wildlife conservation decisions on, for example, conditions of development permits or fish and wildlife harvest regulations. Available information, including from recent Arctic Council assessments, may be hard for managers to sift through or to know what is most relevant to them. Work in this area should engage users of the information in designing content and delivery and should consider methods beyond print media. It should take into account time and resource constraints of the users and considerations such as keeping information up to date. Communication may best be delivered at a national or regional level, but benefits and efficiencies of collaboration through Arctic Council could be explored. | Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change | 2013 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Recommendation | 3 | Advance and advocate ecosystem-based management efforts in the Arctic as a framework for cooperation, planning and development. This includes an approach to development that proceeds cautiously, with sound short and long-term environmental risk assessment and management, using the best available scientific and traditional ecological knowledge, following the best environmental practices, considering cumulative effects and adhering to international standards. | Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers | 2013 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | 15 | Promote public training, education and community-based monitoring, where appropriate, as integral elements in conservation and management. 15.1. Update CAFF’s strategy and guidelines for community-based monitoring, including tools and exploration of how to better integrate this type of monitoring with existing monitoring and ways to use it in early warning systems to detect changes. 15.2. Increase engagement of youth and early career scientists in the activities of CAFF to train the next generation of conservation leaders. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Key finding | 1 | Increase opportunities for cross-cultural learning, understanding and trust building. | Arctic Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: Changes in the North American Arctic | 2017 | |
| 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) | Action | 10 | Promote the sustainable management of the Arctic’s living resources and their habitat. a. Improve circumpolar cooperation in data gathering and assessment of populations and harvestand in the development of improved harvest methods, planning, and management. This includes improving the use and integration of traditional ecological knowledge and science in managing harvests and in improving the development and use of community-based monitoring as an importantinformation source. 10.1. Improve data and assessments on populations, harvest and harvest management, including both traditional knowledge and science, as foundation for harvest management (e.g., Arctic Geese). 10.2. Further develop community-based monitoring as a tool to aid in tracking populations, harvest and harvest management. b. Develop pan-Arctic conservation and management plans for shared species that are, or will potentiallybe, harvested or commercially exploited that incorporate common monitoring objectives, population assessments, harvesting regimes, guidelines for best practices in harvest methodology and consider maintenance of genetic viability and adaptation to climate change as guiding principles. 10.3. Develop range-wide adaptive management strategies for those harvested species identified under Action 8.3. c. Support efforts to plan and manage commercial fisheries in international waters under commoninternational objectives that ensure long-term sustainability of species and ecosystems. Encourage precautionary, science-based management of fisheries in areas beyond national jurisdiction in accordance with international law to ensure the long-term sustainability of species and ecosystems. 10.4. Provide biodiversity and ecosystem information to the proposed US Chairmanship priority of developing a Regional Seas Program for the Arctic Ocean. d. Support efforts to develop, improve and employ fishing technologies and practices that reduce bycatch of marine mammals, seabirds and non-target fish and avoid significant adverse impact to the seabed. 10.5. Update CAFF reports on incidental take of seabirds in commercial fisheries in the Arctic. e. Develop and implement, in cooperation with reindeer herders, management plans that ensure thesustainability of reindeer herding and the quality of habitat for grazing and calving. 10.6. Maintain and further develop sustainable and resilient reindeer husbandry (EALLU Arctic Indigenous Youth Climate Change and Food Culture). | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | CHALLENGE Fragmented research, lack of people working across disciplines. POTENTIAL ACTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom can provide information that may indicate connections between phenomena; it can assist the scientists and researchers in developing ecosystem approaches to monitoring, research, and management. | Arctic Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: Changes in the North American Arctic | 2017 |
Arctic Council Working Group