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

Objective: Protect key habitat to ensure continued viability of Ivory Gull populations that depend on them.

Actions

• Prepare summary of protected areas containing important Ivory Gull habitats.
• Evaluate the Circumpolar Protected Areas Network (CPAN) and other mechanisms to protect habitats important to the Ivory Gull.
• Identify important Ivory Gull habitat areas still requiring protection and designate them under national and international systems of protected areas (e.g. Birdlife International system, Important Bird Areas).
• Identify and implement any additional protective mechanisms such as treaties, agreements, regulations, and policies needed to protect Ivory Gull habitats.

The CBMP is an adaptive, integrated monitoring program that provides timely information about status, trends, and changes in Arctic biodiversity and ecosystems.

Objective 2.1: Integrate lessons learned and advice for monitoring outlined in the SABRs into next steps of CBMP.

• Activity 1: After completion of major products such as SABRs, CBMP will initiate a scoping process to evaluate and prioritize FECs as indicators of change. This process will use lessons learned and SABR key findings and advice and result in a revised monitoring plan or long-term implementation plan.
• Activity 2: Review and consider lessons learned, when developing work plans.

Objective 2.2: Evaluate the effectiveness of existing and new methods and technologies as a tool to support biodiversity monitoring and assessment.

• Activity 1: Continue to improve and update Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans based upon the SABR advice and lessons learned.
• Activity 2: Explore the use of remote sensing and e-DNA in CBMP activities.
• Activity 3: Consider impacts of stressors and drivers, including cumulative impacts, within reviews of the Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans.•Activity 4: Consider how to understand the impact and effect of extreme events (e.g., wildfires, invasive species, extreme weather events etc.) on biodiversity, within revisions of Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans.

Objective 2.3: Identify expert networks relevant for CBMP.

• Activity 1: Invite relevant networks to participate in the CBMP, including regional, Indigenous, and citizen science networks, e.g., eBird, iNaturalist.
• Activity 2: Enhance engagement of experts from Observer states and organisations.

Objective 2.4: Increase access to Arctic biodiversity data.

• Activity 1: Further develop interoperability of the ABDS with national and global data centres to facilitate access to existing and new data.
• Activity 2: Continue to work with Steering Groups, Expert Networks, and partners (such as the Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure) to improve and consider issues of data access, visualization, metadata, comparison, and standardization.
• Activity 3: Develop a data management manual describing the flow of data from the field to CAFF assessments, including the harmonization of data across sites and scales.
• Activity 4: Increase the awareness of the ABDS amongst target audiences and other partners, including industry and other sectors.

Objective 2.5: Continue and strengthen cross-cutting activities among the CBMP Steering Groups.

• Activity 1: Hold bi-monthly telephone meetings between CBMP Co-leads and CBMP Steering Group Co-Chairs align and coordinate activities between CBMP Steering Groups. In-person meetings will also be held in conjunction with CAFF Board meetings when possible.
• Activity 2: Consider how to develop more targeted and integrated reporting
• Activity 3: Initiate steps to integrate work between the four groups.
• Activity 4: Design and develop a plan to include modelling and predictive science within CBMP, to be aligned with the 2023 CAFF Action Plan for Biodiversity.
• Activity 5: Conduct a landscape analysis of existing synergies within CBMP and other CAFF initiatives, as well as Arctic Council working groups, including the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) and the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME), to be aligned with the 2023 Action Plan for Biodiversity.

Objective 2.6: Via expert networks, develop user manuals and test implementation of CBMP Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans in the field.

• Activity 1: CBMP Terrestrial and Freshwater Groups will, together with the CAFF Secretariat and the CBMP Co-leads, continue to work on best practices for field trials on selected FECs and, as resources allow, produce site-specific user manuals at selected stations.
• Activity 2: CBMP Marine and Coastal Group will together with the CBMP co-leads consider how to replicate Activity 1 and/or implement these approaches into the Marine and Coastal Monitoring Plans.
• Activity 3: The CAFF Secretariat will, through the CAFF webpage and the ABDS, publish recommended methods and link to internationally agreed-upon standardized monitoring methods to implement CBMP monitoring at monitoring stations.

Improvement of knowledge on limiting demographic factors.

4.2.1. Develop a comprehensive research agenda for each population specifying what information is most needed, how it will be used, and which countries will be involved. Relate this to the Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Plan and evaluate if necessary.

4.2.2. For each major kittiwake breeding population, estimate population size, productivity, adult survival rates, and identify migration routes and wintering grounds. Also investigate survival rates and distribution of the immature birds.

4.2.3 Investigate the breeding success and population estimates for a larger proportion of the circumpolar population.

4.2.4. Investigate the genetic structures in the different populations.

4.2.5. Implement the Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Plan (CBird 2015) throughout the circumpolar Arctic.

Reduce the negative impact of commercial fisheries on breeding success.

2.4.1. Ensure industrial fisheries of pelagic forage fish such as capelin, herring and sandeel are not at a level that limits kittiwakes’ food supply.

2.4.2. Increase research into the resource competition between seabird and fisheries and how this should influence quotas.

Improve the capacity of the Arctic Council and its partners to make well-informed decisions on the needs, priorities, and options for preventing, eradicating, and controlling invasive alien species in the Arctic by improving the knowledge base.

Priority Action 2.1 Identify and assess:

a) the invasive alien species and pathways that pose the greatest risk of biological invasion into, within, and out of Arctic ecosystems;

b) the Arctic ecosystems, livelihoods, and cultural resources most vulnerable to biological invasion; and

c) the current and projected patterns and trends of introduction and impacts of invasive alien species in the Arctic.

Priority Action 2.2 Produce a series of topic-specific assessments of invasive alien species issues in the Arctic considering scientific, TLK, technical, environmental, economic, socio-cultural, legal, and institutional perspectives.

Priority Action 2.3 Improve the collection of information on the occurrence and impacts of Arctic invasive alien species, taking advantage of new technologies for early detection, and integrate this information into circumpolar, regional, and community-based observing networks, monitoring programs, (in particular the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme), and associated information systems such as (the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service).

Priority Action 2.4 Facilitate full, timely, and open sharing of data and other information relevant to Arctic invasive alien speciesprevention and management through the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service and the CAFF Web portal.

Implementation Action 2.1: Use tools such as risk analysis, horizon scanning, and site-based prioritization in identifying and assessing pathways that pose the greatest risk of biological invasions.

Implementation Action 2.2: Priorities for topic-specific assessments of invasive alien species include assessments of: the current status, projected trends, and impacts of alien species in the Arctic region; pathways of biological invasion; legal and institutional frameworks for addressing invasive alien species in the Arctic (including for border controls and importation); regional prevention and EDRR capacities; and the relationship between invasive alien species and indigenous peoples/local communities in the Arctic. These assessments should utilize both TLK and science, as appropriate, including the outputs of priority Action 2.1.

Implementation Action 2.3: The portal for information relevant to Arctic invasive alien species would include example scientific and technical information, best practices and tools, institutional and legal frameworks, and education/outreach materials. Utilize the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service (ABDS) and the CAFF website.

Increase knowledge about the colonies in the Arctic.

4.4.1. Finalize an overview of the location of all breeding colonies in the Arctic.

4.4.2. Identify important areas and generate sensitivity maps around the Arctic.

Reduce the threat of anthropogenic pollution.

2.6.1. Reduce marine litter and plastics by raising public awareness, and through facilitation of environment-friendly handling of garbage etc.

2.6.2. Reduce the risk of local oil spills close to breeding colonies by regulating nearby human activities.

Monitor occurrence ofdiseases in seabird populations.

1.9.1. Monitor bird flu and other diseases and minimize their impacts.

Ensure that new offshore energy development does not come in conflict with foraging habitat use by kittiwakes.

3.2.1. Use tracking and population data to prevent construction of offshore structures close to breeding sites/foraging grounds/wintering sites