Recommendations

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.

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.

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 harvest and 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 important information source.

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, populationassessments, harvesting regimes, guidelines for best practices in harvest methodology and considermaintenance of genetic viability and adaptation to climate change as guiding principles.

c. Support efforts to plan and manage commercial fisheries in international waters under common international objectives that ensure long-term sustainability of species and ecosystems. Encourage precautionary, science-based management of fisheries in areas beyond national jurisdiction inaccordance with international law to ensure the long-term sustainability of species and ecosystems.

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.

e. Develop and implement, in cooperation with reindeer herders, management plans that ensure the sustainability of reindeer herding and the quality of habitat for grazing and calving.

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.

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.

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.

Implementation plan for ABA recommendations (Actions for Arctic Biodiversity).

a. Prepare, track, and update biennially the plan.

b. Review and update actions in plan by all Working Groups and Task Forces related to ABA recommendations.

c. Evaluate progress on implementing the ABA recommendations and produce recommendations for follow-up work.

d. Encourage states to develop national implementation plans consistent with this implementation plan for the ABA recommendations as an essential adaptation measure.

Convene Arctic Biodiversity Congress.

a. Convene, and report the results of the first Arctic Biodiversity Congress, create dialogue on ABA key findings and recommendations, solicit review and input on draft ABA action plan, establish partnerships and advance implementation actions.

b. Convene, and report the results of, a second Arctic Biodiversity Congress to promote the conservation and sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity focusing on the results of the CBMP state of the Arctic biodiversity reports, progress on implementation of ABA recommendations, and attainment of Aichi Targets.

c. Convene a third congress.

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.

Actively support international efforts addressing climate change, both reducing stressors and implementing adaptation measures, as an urgent matter. Of specific importance are efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce emissions of black carbon, methane and tropospheric ozone precursors.

1.1. Addressing short-lived climate forcers.

a. Negotiate an Arctic Council Framework for Enhanced Action on Black Carbon and Methane.

b. Implement existing Arctic Council recommendations on short-lived climate forcers.

c. Hold a workshop on the reduction of black carbon emissions from residential woodcombustion in the Arctic that identifies voluntary actions to reduce emissions.

d. Diesel black carbon reduction in the Russian Arctic.

e. Prepare scientific assessments on black carbon and tropospheric ozone and on methane.

f. Follow-up projects on reducing black carbon, including: the transport and dieselgenerator sectors; the Arctic Case Studies Platform; and convening a conference on best practices on contaminant reduction in Indigenous communities.

1.2. Mainstream biodiversity into the climate change agenda, including adaptation and mitigation, through outreach.

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.

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.

3.1. Provide information (including traditional knowledge) to Arctic Council initiatives that include, or are developing, an ecosystem approach including the principles for incorporation of biodiversity (Action 4.3).

3.2. Ongoing activities based on the revised Terms of Reference of the Joint Ecosystem Approach Expert Group (marine), including preparation of reports on Status of Setting Ecological Objectives, Work on Integrated Ecosystem Assessments of Arctic LMEs, Status of Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Management in the Arctic, a scoping document on the use of information on identified areas of heightened ecological and cultural significance for assessment and management purposes within LMEs.

3.3. Follow-up to the Ecosystem-Based Management Expert Group work on advancing ecosystem based management in the work of the Arctic Council.

3.4. Prepare an implementation plan for the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan 2015-2025.

3.5. Continue to promote collaboration among Arctic states as they implement the Polar Code (AMSA IIB).

Require the incorporation of biodiversity objectives and provisions into all Arctic Council work and encourage the same for on-going and future international standards, agreements, plans, operations and/or other tools specific to development in the Arctic. This should include, but not be restricted to, oil and gas development, shipping, fishing, tourism and mining.

4.1. Strengthen and develop new strategic partnerships, particularly with industry, to seek innovative solutions and expand responsibility for taking care of biodiversity.

4.2. Analyse the relationship between CAFF activities and international biodiversity objectives from relevant multilateral environmental agreements as a starting point for improved cooperation.

4.3. Develop a set of biodiversity principles for the Arctic Council, Observers, and stakeholders on incorporating biodiversity objectives and safeguards into their work, apply these principles to the activities of Arctic Council Working Groups and other Subsidiary Bodies, and evaluate the extent to which these activities respond to the ABA recommendations.

4.4. Develop, as needed, binding and/or voluntary agreements/standards that work towards the harmonization of industry-specific and cross-industry standards related to the conservation and/or sustainable use of biodiversity. This should considerhow to encourage the incorporation of biodiversity as a fundamental component of environmental and risk assessment work.

4.5. Provide information, expertise, and recommendations on conservation of Arctic ecosystems to policymakers.

4.6. Develop best practices for vessel-based Arctic marine tourism (Arctic Marine TourismProject- Best Practice Guidelines) (AMSA Recommendation IIIB).

4.7. Make monitoring and research results on species, including those relevant to maintaining and increasing resilience of biodiversity to climate change, accessible to all stakeholders, through the ABDS.

4.8. Strengthen collaboration with industry in Arctic biodiversity monitoring

Advance the protection of large areas of ecologically important marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats, taking into account ecological resilience in a changing climate.

a. Build upon existing and on-going domestic and international processes to complete the identification of ecologically and biologically important marine areas and implement appropriate measures for their conservation.

b. Build upon existing networks of terrestrial protected areas, filling geographic gaps, including under represented areas, rare or unique habitats, particularly productive areas such as large river deltas, biodiversity hotspots, and areas with large aggregations of animals such as bird breeding colonies, seal whelping areas and caribou calving grounds.

5.1. Provide input and assist with international processes underway to complete the identification of ecologically and biologically important Arctic areas and promote measures for their conservation as appropriate.

5.2. Develop and follow-up on a framework for a Pan-Arctic Network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that sets out a common vision for regional cooperation in MPA network development and management.

5.3. Analyse existing Arctic protected areas data to identify gaps and priorities, including identification of the most climate-change resilient Arctic areas, connectivity gaps, and missing buffer zones, making use of new information and new analytical tools.

c. Promote the active involvement of indigenous peoples in the management and sustainable use ofprotected areas.

5.4. Develop guidelines for including Arctic indigenous and community values into protected areas planning and management, including exploring how best to promote and facilitate multiple values.

5.5. Analyse the results of ICC’s review of global protected areas schemes that promoteindigenous management practices, strong co-management schemes and supportindigenous food security for consideration by CAFF.

Develop guidelines and implement appropriate spatial and temporal measures where necessary to reduce human disturbance to areas critical for sensitive life stages of Arctic species that are outside protected areas, for example along transportation corridors. Such areas include calving grounds, den sites, feeding grounds, migration routes and moulting areas. This also means safeguarding important habitats such as wetlands and polynyas.

6.1. Provide technical information, including mapping areas of high species abundance, unique Arctic diversity and those important for sensitive life stages, at a scale appropriate for use in planning.

6.2. Develop, where needed, guidelines or other tools, for safeguarding sensitive areas for biodiversity (outside protected areas) that are vulnerable to human activity and/or contribute to international processes developing such guidelines, including potential refugia that will maintain multi-year ice.