Recommendations

Project	Type	#	Outcome	Report	Year
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Key finding	8	Current knowledge of many Arctic species, ecosystems and their stressors is fragmentary, making detection and assessment of trends and their implications difficult for many aspects of Arctic biodiversity.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	15	Promote public training, education and community-based monitoring, where appropriate, as integral elements in conservation and management.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Action	11	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. 11.1. Provide information necessary for assessment of trends in, among others, contaminant levels in ecosystems, biological effects, and improve predictive capacity (Trends and Effects Monitoring Programme). 11.2. Prepare an update assessment of Persistent Organic Pollutants and resulting biological effects. 11.3. Develop ecosystem models that project ecosystem response to climate change and contaminant-related factors (AACA-C). 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. 11.4. Implement the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution, Preparedness andResponse in the Arctic , including executing international exercises and maintaining and updating the Operational Guidelines. 11.5. Prepare a Guide to Oil Spill Response in Snow and Ice Conditions in the Arctic. 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. 11.6. Demonstrate rapid assessment and clean-up of old sites, and environmentally sounddestruction of obsolete pesticides in northern Russia. 11.7. Organize an information conference on best practices on contaminant reduction in Indigenous communities.	Actions for Arctic Biodiversity, 2013-2021: Implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment	2015
	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
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Action		CHALLENGE Research is not year-round and data gaps are many in the remote Arctic. POTENTIAL ACTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom can fill data gaps since observations are year-round and often draw on long time frames	Arctic Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: Changes in the North American Arctic	2017
Arctic Species Trend Index (ASTI)	Key finding	7	A number of species in our data set showed declines across flyway regions, e.g., Red knot Calidris canutus. Others have increased more recently, e.g., Greater white-fronted goose Anser albifrons.	Arctic Species Trend Index: Migratory Birds Index	2015
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Key finding	6	Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and stewardship is important for successful management of Arctic wetlands. Participation and leadership by Indigenous Peoples is needed for decision-making and management of Arctic wetlands. Indigenous Peoples’ hold extensive and unique knowledge regarding the wetlands in their homelands. Inmany places, long-term indigenous stewardship has partly shaped present-day wetland biodiversity and functioning, maintaining traditional land-use practices that acts to preserve wetland resilience.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Recommendation	9	Wetland policy should recognize the legacy and future importance of Indigenous Peoples’ stewardship and the need for collaborative, integrated management of Arctic wetlands. As outlined in the Arctic Wetlands and Indigenous Peoples Study, develop pilot studies on comanagement practices to support meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples in future Arctic wetlands projects, and encourage indigenous participation in developing wetlands inventories covering traditional use areas.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Key finding	1.2.5	Suggestions for Wetlands Planning, Research, and Management. Document Indigenous wetland resource use to allow management authorities to make decisions that respect and accommodate Indigenous resource use by ensuring that subsistence activities are not unnecessarily impeded by management actions. Information may be collected on subsistence species, types of subsistence practices, levels of reliance, and legal access. Develop protected area participation plans to specify cooperative objectives, participating entities, and terms of evaluation so that management authorities can continue to engage Indigenous Peoples when experiencing turn-over. Broaden wetland research priorities to further the goals of biodiversity conservation and Arctic food security by (1) conducting research with Indigenous knowledge holders on wetland ecosystems, (2) examining the intersection of wetland biodiversity and Arctic food security, and (3) prioritizing species of both conservation and subsistence interest. Support community-based wetlands monitoring to help researchers and managers partner with Indigenous knowledge holders, identify ecosystem services, monitor for rapid environmental change, support year round sampling, support collection of current and historic observational information, and reinforce results from scientific studies. Connect beyond wetlands so as to explore the interactions between and beyond inland and coastal wetlands and examine opportunities between CAFF projects such as RMAWI, the Salmon Peoples of the Arctic, the Seabird Working Group, and the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative to further facilitate research on Indigenous relationships with Arctic biodiversity. Foster engagement in wetlands management productively by (1) approaching Indigenous participation as an opportunity, (2) seeking to build partnerships with Indigenous governments, organizations, and communities, (3) engaging Indigenous leadership and communities at the beginning of the process, and (4) welcoming elders to participate while actively recruiting Indigenous youth to contribute to management and conservation decisions.	Arctic Wetlands and Indigenous Peoples Study: An assessment of Indigenous engagement in wetland protected areas	2021
Arctic TEEB	Key finding	2.6	Arctic ecosystem services: Arctic environmental conditions are associated with potential for rapid changes in ecosystem services and high uncertainty – providing a strong incentive to include ecosystem services in policy.	The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for the Arctic: A Scoping Study Executive Summary	2015
Arctic TEEB	Key finding	4.1	Valuing Arctic ecosystem services: Key Finding 4.1. The ecosystem services link is crucial when striving for sustainable management of complex social-ecological systems, and valuation in this context can provide powerful information for evaluating alternative management strategies. Cohesive, integrated and commonly accepted frameworks for assessment of the values of Arctic ecosystems are needed.	The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for the Arctic: A Scoping Study Executive Summary	2015
CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring	Key finding		In North America, population estimates are good; trends are generally of the best quality and most populations are increasing or stable.	A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations	2018
CBMP Freshwater Biodiversity Monitoring	Key finding		The vast expanse of the Arctic region in some countries (e.g., Canada, Russia) and the high monetary cost and logistical constraints associated with sampling in some regions (e.g., northern Canada and Russia, Greenland, Svalbard, Faroe Islands) limits the possibility of routine monitoring. This leads to sparse sample coverage in space and time, particularly where funds are not secure.	State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring	2016
CBMP Marine Biodiversity Monitoring	Key finding		Arctic marine species and ecosystems are undergoing pressure from cumulative changes in their physical, chemical and biological environment.	State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring	2017
CBMP Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring	Key finding		Species from southern ecosystems are moving into the Arctic and are expected to push Arctic species northwards, create an “Arctic squeeze,” and change species’ interactions.	State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity: Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring	2021
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 Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI)	Advice	6	Monitoring point sources of plastic pollution: Glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus), great skua (Stercorarius skua) and other gull species that feed at landfills and other urban or rural sites, pellets/regurgitations should be monitored for plastic pollution near point sources to track local trends 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		1.6	Increase understanding of impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs), either through kittiwake food or direct contact with toxins associated with HABs. 1.6.1. Establish monitoring practices to track presence of HABs in marine environments and prey used by kittiwake. Conduct tests to determine dose levels of HABs toxins that affect kittiwake behavior or health, using proxy species where applicable. Work to reduce sources of HABs, such as nearshore development or discharge.	International Black-legged Kittiwake - Conservation Strategy and Action Plan	2021
CBird: Seabird Expert Group		4.3	Increase knowledge about the effects of climate change and, if possible, reduce the impact. 4.3.1. Increase research efforts considering climate change and its effect on survival and reproduction rates (seawater acidification, increased water temperatures, increased frequency of storms etc.) 4.3.2. Increase research into the effect of diseases and parasites. 4.3.3. Compensate climate change impact by reducing the effect of other negative drivers	International Black-legged Kittiwake - Conservation Strategy and Action Plan	2021
CBird: Seabird Expert Group	Action	4.5	Communication and consultation: 14. Support other eider conservation initiatives, 15. Ensure coordination with other bird conservation plans, 16. Enlist support of local residents and others interested in eiders, 17. Solicit periodic evaluation of the Strategy by eider specialists, 18. Prepare periodic reports summarizing accomplishments in eider conservation, 19. Ensure that eider conservation projects include an educational component.	Circumpolar Eider Conservation Strategy and Action Plan	1997