Purpose of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program

The purpose of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) is to strive for the conservation of biological diversity in the Arctic, to halt or significantly reduce the loss of this biodiversity, and to provide information to the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, other Arctic residents, and stakeholders inside and outside the region on the sustainable use of the region’s living resources.

The CBMP is, first and foremost, a coordinating entity for
•    existing Arctic biodiversity monitoring programs;
•    identifying new programs to address gaps in knowledge;
•    gathering, integrating, and analyzing data; and
•    communicating results.

The CBMP will serve as a mechanism for harmonizing and enhancing monitoring efforts across the Arctic in order to improve our ability to detect significant trends within a reasonable time frame and report on them effectively. The resulting information will be used to influence policy and engage diverse audiences, such as northern communities, scientists, governments, and the global community.  

Information on how Arctic species are responding to pressures is widely scattered among scientists, government institutions, and northern communities. With the cooperation of its expert monitoring groups (EMGs), the CBMP has been designed to identify gaps in data, integrate information and efforts aimed at monitoring and communication, and encourage the development of new monitoring efforts to identify the type and extent of changes in the Arctic and improve our understanding of them. A major focus will be organisms of primary importance to the integrity of Arctic ecosystems and the culture and livelihood of Indigenous cultures. Special attention will be paid to community-based observations and citizen science, recognizing the valuable and significant contributions that people living in this environment can make to monitoring Arctic biodiversity.

The CBMP functions as an international forum of key scientists and conservation experts from all eight Arctic countries, the six international indigenous organizations of the Arctic Council, and a number of global conservation organizations. It is strategically linked to other international conservation programs such as the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), International Polar Year (IPY), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), thereby ensuring effective coordination and integration with related global initiatives.

Through the Arctic Council, the results of the CBMP will be translated into effective conservation, mitigation, and adaptation policies in order to promote the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources.  To do this, information is needed not only on the status of and trends in Arctic biodiversity at the circumpolar level, but also on the natural and anthropogenic stressors driving trends in Arctic biodiversity at all scales – from local and regional to national and international.  Identifying and understanding how and why biodiversity is changing at various scales will enable local communities and regional, national, and international decision-making bodies to develop informed policy and response strategies focused on adaptation, mitigation, and conservation.  This information will be provided in a timely fashion using diverse formats.