Arctic Biodiversity Indices and Indicators

Effective monitoring is the foundation of responsive decision making; however, unless the right information is reported in the right formats to the right audiences, the results of such monitoring are lost. That is why reporting is a cornerstone of the CBMP.

To facilitate effective reporting, the CBMP has chosen a suite of biodiversity indices and indicators that provide a picture of the state of Arctic biodiversity. They were chosen through an expert consultation process to reflect existing monitoring capacity and expertise.

Criteria used to select the indicators included sensitivity to natural or anthropogenic drivers; understandability to a non-technical audience; scientific validity, relevance to diverse audiences (e.g., local communities, decision makers, global public); ecological relevance; sustainability of monitoring capacity; subjection to targets and thresholds; and practicality. The indices and indicators were also chosen to represent and incorporate information from all major Arctic biomes at various scales, all known Arctic pressures, all major trophic levels, all major Arctic biodiversity components (e.g., genes, species, habitat) including humans, and critical ecosystem services and functions — using both community- and science-based monitoring approaches.

The following table outlines the Arctic Biodiversity Indices and Indicators.  This list is not exclusive as it is expected that the CBMP will be reporting on information, derived from the integrated monitoring plans, not captured in the current indicators and indices.