The Challenge

Global Significance of Arctic Biodiversity

The Arctic’s contribution to global biodiversity is substantial. Its brief summers are intensely productive and attract hundreds of migratory species. Two hundred and seventy-nine species of migratory birds breed in significant numbers in the Arctic; of these, 30 reach southern Africa, 26 reach Australia and New Zealand, 22 reach southern South America, and several pelagic species reach the southern oceans. Several species of land and marine mammals, including gray and humpback whales, also participate in the global migration, traveling long distances to the Arctic each year.

While the Arctic has relatively few species compared to the mega-diverse tropics, Arctic biodiversity is notable for its high genetic diversity, reflecting the many unique adaptations species have developed in response to extreme environmental conditions. The Arctic also supports globally significant populations, including more than half of the world’s shorebird species, 80 percent of the global goose population, several million reindeer and caribou (which are critical to human communities in the Arctic), and 28 percent of the world’s commercial marine-fish harvest.

 

The circumpolar Arctic, as defined by CAFF, covers 14.8 million km2 of land and 13 million km2 of ocean (roughly three times the size of Europe).  The emerging economic importance of Arctic ecosystems often conflicts directly with conservation values, as the region has some of the world’s few remaining pristine, undeveloped environments. Vast wilderness areas where ecosystem processes continue to function in a largely natural state play a key role in the physical, chemical, and biological balance of the planet. The Arctic is also home to diverse, vibrant, and unique societies whose indigenous cultures maintain close ties to the land and represent hundreds of distinct languages.

Under Pressure

Dramatic changes now underway in the Arctic are threatening the resilience and sustainability of its living resources and Indigenous Peoples and societies who rely on them. Of greatest concern is climate change, as its impacts on Arctic biodiversity are already being seen and much larger impacts (with significant regional variation) are expected to take place over this century. By 2100, the Arctic is expected to warm 3-5°C over land and 7°C over the oceans, contributing to dramatic changes in its ecosystems. Predicted impacts include a more than 50 percent decline in the extent of summer sea-ice and the displacement of existing Arctic species and ecosystems (e.g., polar deserts and tundra) as southern species and ecosystems expand northward.

 

Although climate change is placing increasing challenges on the resiliency of Arctic biodiversity, it is not the only pressure. Others include environmental contaminants, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, increased shipping and air traffic, and regional development such as oil-and-gas exploration and production, forestry, hydroelectric development, and urbanization.

Our Current Understanding and Capacity

Information on Arctic biodiversity, human stressors, and natural changes is currently available in a piecemeal fashion and on an irregular basis. An integrated picture of the status, trends and underlying causes of trends in species, habitats, and ecosystem integrity in the Arctic and along migratory routes is not fully known. Although numerous monitoring efforts are currently underway, a lack of coordination, long-term funding and integration has resulted in limited links between monitoring and policy making. A better way of communicating results so that they are more useful to policy is urgently needed in order to successfully manage and conserve Arctic biodiversity and adapt to inevitable changes.

CAFF

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