Recommendations

Coordination: Improved coordination of monitoring is necessary to implement a comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based monitoring program envisioned by the CBMP. Coordination is necessary to help achieve additional advice for monitoring presented in the START.

• Design statistically rigorous sampling methodologies and protocols.
• Encourage states to implement the CBMP Terrestrial Plan to secure long-term funding for existing monitoring.
• CAFF, including the CBMP, should take a coordinating role to follow-up on advice from this report. Specific tasks are found in the CBMP Strategic Plan 2021-2025.

Non-consumptive use

Objective Encourage non-consumptive use of Ivory Gulls that do not threaten their populations and ensure that non consumptive use of Ivory Gulls is sustainable.

Action

• Evaluate risks to breeding Ivory Gulls from tourism and other human activities.
• Prepare guidelines for tourist operators tominimize their impacts on Ivory Gulls.
• Work to support education and/or enforcement efforts in support of existing harvest regulations to prevent illegal harvest.

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.

Mitigate habitat impairment from destruction and degradation of coastal habitats and productive landscapes

6.1 Evaluate the impacts of habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, aquaculture, renewable energy production and tourism development on shorebirds and their habitats in Latin America

6.2 Ensure mitigation measures are incorporated into development decisions

6.3 Designate important sites under appropriate international conservation frameworks (e.g. Ramsar Convention, WHSRN, World Heritage)

6.4 Work with communities and governments to protect important sites

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.

c. Develop and implement joint management and recovery plans for threatened species with relevant non-Arctic states and entities. d. Identify and advance the conservation of key wintering and staging habitats for migratory birds, particularly wetlands.

CHALLENGE There is no consistent approach to working with Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom.

POTENTIAL ACTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Create best practices through demonstration projects and on-the-ground work, including an evaluation of past projects and analysis of what worked and what didn’t.

The most urgent priorities for the future are to

(i) improve our knowledge of population distributions to better inform our definitions of discrete flyway populations;

(ii) implement effective mechanisms to at least periodically measure abundance for all northern hemisphere goose populations to assess trends over time;

(iii) initiate research to identify factors responsible for declining trends in populations of concern, and

(iv) evaluate potential negative effects of overabundant goose populations on habitat and sympatric species.