Recommendations
| Project | Type | # | Outcome | Report | Year | FEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW) | Key finding | 1.2.3 | Arctic Indigenous Peoples and Wetlands Management: Most management and conservation plans, as well as other official information on wetland protected areas, fail to document Indigenous resource use in a systematic or functional way and as a result, do not provide a complete picture of resource use and management within the areas. | Arctic Wetlands and Indigenous Peoples Study: An assessment of Indigenous engagement in wetland protected areas | 2021 | |
| Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) | 1 | CBMP remains relevant by providing high quality information about biodiversity trends to support decision making at global, national, regional, and local levels. Objective 1.1: Through dialogue with Arctic States and Permanent Participants, identify and address priorities where CBMP information could support reporting and decision-making.
Objective 1.2: Ensure that the CBMP Strategy is aligned with the new Action Plan for 2020-2030.
Objective 1.3: Strengthen International Collaborations that enhance the use of CBMP products and data among others via the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service (ABDS), as well as support CAFF’s framework of agreements with international biodiversity-relevant conventions and organisations.
Objective 1.4: Include where relevant Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge in CBMP.
Objective 1.5: Promote awareness of the CBMP and its value towards improving decision-making, for example develop outreach material specific to each State and PP that presents nationally relevant key findings and activities of the CBMP.
| Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program Strategic Plan: 2021-2025 | 2021 | ||
| Arctic TEEB | Key finding | 3.7 | Governance: Key Finding 3.7. The Arctic Council, as a leader in bringing together knowledge across the circumpolar North, has an important role to play for further work on Arctic ecosystem services. These ecosystem services are recognized through the values assigned to them from the perspectives of key Arctic stakeholders and rights holders. | The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for the Arctic: A Scoping Study Executive Summary | 2015 | |
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Most estimates derive from total counts of all individuals, 8 populations combine some form of capture-mark-recapture approach (almost exclusively in North America) but 15 populations are based upon expert opinion, mostly in East and Central Asia. Less than half of the estimates for all populations were thought to fall within 10% of the true totals. | A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations | 2018 | ||
| Key finding | 7 | Community observations from local and traditional experts have much untapped potential as ‘early warning systems’ | Project Summary: Bering Sea Sub-Network II | 2015 | ||
| CBMP Marine Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Increasing 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 Monitoring | 2017 | ||
| CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring | Key finding | Changing frequency, intensity and timing of extreme and unusual weather events due to climate change are affecting some species, with unknown effects on populations. | State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring | 2021 | ||
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Recommendation | 2 | Identify measures for detecting early warnings of biodiversity change and triggering conservation actions.Move towards a stronger reliance on early warnings of ecosystem change, rather than on population trends as triggers for making decisions. Aside from catastrophic die-offs and breeding failure, impacts from changes in sea ice are often incremental, such as a reduced rate of reproduction or survival, or less energy intake from prey. Impacts may take years to be detected in population trends, especially for long-lived animals. Measures such as reduced body condition or changes in ice-dependent prey species are evidence of impacts that can be acted on before declines are detected in abundance or distribution. In some cases these earlier actions will prevent or lessen population declines. Factors to consider in selecting such measures of change include long-term costs and benefits, support by research, ability to be updated, and suitability for determining thresholds for action. | Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change | 2013 | |
| Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) | Advice | 4 | Monitoring nest incorporation and entanglement: Black-legged kittiwake and northern gannet (Morus bassanus) nests should be monitored for nest incorporation of and entanglement in plastic pollution. | Plastic Pollution in Seabirds: Developing a program to monitor plastic pollution in seabirds in the pan-Arctic region | 2021 | |
| CBird: Seabird Expert Group | 1.4 | Reduce predation. 1.4.1 Remove non-native predators in key breeding colonies. | International Black-legged Kittiwake - Conservation Strategy and Action Plan | 2021 | ||
| CBird: Seabird Expert Group | 4.1 | Improve feeding conditions. 4.1.1. Systematically identify important feeding grounds throughout the year. 4.1.2. Identify and quantify diet during breeding and non-breeding season. 4.1.3. Conduct comprehensive, multidisciplinary studies of environmental drivers in wintering grounds (climate and food availability). 4.1.4. Assess the direct and indirect effects of fisheries on kittiwakes. | International Black-legged Kittiwake - Conservation Strategy and Action Plan | 2021 | ||
| CBird: Seabird Expert Group | Action | 4.3 | Commercial activities: 8. Identify eiders populations and habitats at risk from oil pollution, 9. Reduce eider mortality caused by commercial fisheries activities. | Circumpolar Eider Conservation Strategy and Action Plan | 1997 | |
| CBird: Seabird Expert Group | Action | 3.5 | Communications and consultation: 18. Determine appropriate communication approaches and produce materials to deliver specific messages. 19. Emphasize communication to operators of ships at sea, the fishing industry and tour boat operators. 20. Produce educational materials aimed specifically at children. 21. Issue joint scientific reports of activities relating to murre conservation. | International Murre Conservation Strategy and Action Plan | 1996 | |
| Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) | Action | 5 | Support measures under the AEWA Lesser White-fronted Goose (LWfG) International Working Group (IWG) to prevent illegal killing 5.1 Assist the AEWA LWfG IWG and the Birdlife Norwegian/Greek cooperation project cooperation project with the translation and dissemination of awareness-raising and education materials in key areas for the species within the Russian Arctic amongst indigenous and local communities. 5.2 Support the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat in engaging key Range States on a diplomatic level through Arctic Council member and observer country embassies | AMBI Work Plan 2019-2025: African Eurasian Flyway | 2021 | |
| Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) | Action | 4 | Work with partners to increase the number and quality of population estimates of Arctic-breeding waterbirds in the Central and East Asian Flyways 4.1 (All countries): Work with partners such as EAAF Partnership, Wetlands International and other partners to improve population estimates for AMBI priority species by supporting collation of up-to-date information on estimates and trends. 4.2 (All countries): Cooperate with partners such as the EAAF Partnership Waterbird Monitoring Task Force, Wetlands International, BirdLife International and the Global Flyway Network to strengthen monitoring of Arctic-breeding migratory waterbirds along the flyway, particularly in the Yellow Sea and Southeast Asia. | AMBI Work Plan 2019-2025: Central and East Asian Flyways | 2021 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Recommendation | 6 | 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. | Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers | 2013 | |
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Action | 2 | 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. | Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment | 2015 | |
| 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 | |||
| Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) | Key finding | 4 | Increase financial and other support for indigenous peoples and organizations to actively engage in research and science initiatives and to effectively address their concerns. | Arctic Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: Changes in the North American Arctic | 2017 |
Arctic Council Working Group