Recommendations

Protect and manage key habitats on landand at sea as a significant contribution to safeguard populations.

3.3.1. Prepare a summary of protected areas containing important kittiwake habitats.

3.3.2. Evaluate the potential of ongoing tools such as the Framework for a Pan-Arctic Network of Marine Protected Areas and other mechanisms to protect habitats important to kittiwakes.

3.3.3. Identify important kittiwake habitats on land and at sea still requiring protection and designate them under national and international systems of protected areas (e.g. Birdlife International’s Important Bird Areas or OSPAR).

3.3.4. Identify, evaluate and implement additional conservation mechanisms such as treaties, agreements, regulations, and policies of value. Consider also collaboration with AMBI.

Habitat protection and enhancement

12. Identify important murre colonies and designate them under national and international systems of protected areas.

13. Promote the establishment of marine protected areas in important pelagic habitats for murres.

14. Contribute to the "Important Bird Areas" system to highlight important areas for murres.

15. Explore the establishment of an international network to identify and protect key areas for murres.

16. Ensure that conservation action will benefit populations, by assessing causes of population declines from an ecosystem perspective.

17. Undertake specific restoration activities to assist depressed populations to recover.

Reduce bycatch of seaducks in the Baltic Sea

4.1 Support the implementation of the AEWA Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter and Common Eider International Single Species Action Plans with respect to the identified activities regarding bycatch under the auspices of the AEWA European Seaduck International Working Group.

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 underrepresented 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.

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

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.

Develop communication and outreach tools and methodologies to better convey the importance and value of Arctic biodiversity and the changes it is undergoing.

17.1. Implement CAFF’s communications strategy and update as needed.

17.2. Develop tools to raise awareness of Arctic biodiversity, and the multiple challenges it faces, for example Through the Lens photography competition, and create publications, articles, films, social media, media campaigns and educational kits.

17.3. Provide status and trend information to international fora and national agencies to promote the importance of Arctic biodiversity and to facilitate reporting through multilateral environmental agreements and other international processesa. Reframe the results of the ABA as a regional biodiversity outlook for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and as a contribution to the biodiversity and ecosystem services regional reports for the Americas and Europe and Central Asia being prepared for Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

b. Report to the CBD on progress of the Arctic region towards achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

17.4. Develop educational materials based on the ABA (in several languages).

a. Pilot: educational toolkit on Arctic ecology for children ages 9-11.

17.5 Develop and implement outreach products to communicate the outcomes of this plan

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.