Recommendations

Project	Type	#	Outcome	Report	Year
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	16	Research and monitor individual and cumulative effects of stressors and drivers of relevance to biodiversity, with a focus on stressors that are expected to have rapid and significant impacts and issues where knowledge is lacking. This should include, but not be limited to, modelling potential future species range changes as a result of these stressors; developing knowledge of and identifying tipping points, thresholds and cumulative effects for Arctic biodiversity; and developing robust quantitative indicators for stressors through the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	17	Develop communication and outreach tools and methodologies to better convey the importance and value of Arctic biodiversity and the changes it is undergoing.	Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)		1	Facilitate a move to more flexible, adaptable wildlife and habitat management and marine spatial planning approaches that respond effectively to rapid changes in Arctic biodiversity.	Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	2	Identify measures for detecting early warnings of biodiversity change and triggering conservation actions.Move towards a stronger reliance on early warnings of ecosystem change, rather than on population trends as triggers for making decisions. Aside from catastrophic die-offs and breeding failure, impacts from changes in sea ice are often incremental, such as a reduced rate of reproduction or survival, or less energy intake from prey. Impacts may take years to be detected in population trends, especially for long-lived animals. Measures such as reduced body condition or changes in ice-dependent prey species are evidence of impacts that can be acted on before declines are detected in abundance or distribution. In some cases these earlier actions will prevent or lessen population declines. Factors to consider in selecting such measures of change include long-term costs and benefits, support by research, ability to be updated, and suitability for determining thresholds for action.	Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	3	Make more effective use of local and traditional knowledge in Arctic Council assessments and, more broadly, in ecological management. We need the best available knowledge to detect and respond to rapid Arctic ecosystem change. Local and traditional knowledge sources, by their nature, bring a depth of knowledge and understanding of ecosystems, as well as early warnings of change, that complement science-based studies. However, these knowledge sources are generally underutilized in assessment and management except at the scale of the knowledge holders	Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change	2013
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA)	Recommendation	4	Target resource managers when communicating research, monitoring and assessment findings. Increase efforts to communicate results of research and monitoring relevant to conservation of sea-ice associated biodiversity. Focus particularly on meeting the information needs of those making on-the-ground wildlife conservation decisions on, for example, conditions of development permits or fish and wildlife harvest regulations. Available information, including from recent Arctic Council assessments, may be hard for managers to sift through or to know what is most relevant to them. Work in this area should engage users of the information in designing content and delivery and should consider methods beyond print media. It should take into account time and resource constraints of the users and considerations such as keeping information up to date. Communication may best be delivered at a national or regional level, but benefits and efficiencies of collaboration through Arctic Council could be explored.	Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change	2013
	Key finding		Biodiversity underpins sustainable development in the Arctic, including economic, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions. Although there is widespread understanding of the importance of economic development for the well-being of Arctic peoples, there is less understanding of the importance of biodiversity for human well-being, including livelihoods, food security and ecosystem services. Economic development in the Arctic should proceed within the constraints of ensuring the long term sustainability of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		The relationship between biodiversity and climate change is complex. While climate change has been identified as the key stressor of Arctic biodiversity, the degree to which it has a negative impact depends on complex relationships between climate change, other stressors, geography, economics, politics and management regimes.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Conservation of Arctic biodiversity is a global issue, as so much that happens outside the Arctic affects what happens inside the Arctic and vice versa. Migratory species provide a good basis to develop the partnerships necessary to ensure the long term viability of shared species, and at the same time to increase awareness of the shared global heritage that Arctic biodiversity represents.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Credible knowledge of all kinds, and from all sources, is welcomed and needed in the Arctic. This includes science, traditional knowledge and co-produced knowledge as well as knowledge from academia, business, government, civil society and communities.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		There is a wide gap between what we know and how we act. Although research to fill gaps in knowledge is still needed, there is enough knowledge about what needs to be done to act now. A companion to this message is the urgent need to shorten the time it takes for scientific understanding to be translated into policy in the Arctic.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Biodiversity policy in the Arctic has to reflect the needs of people living in the Arctic, many of whom are indigenous.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Conservation of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services it provides requires a long-term perspective and sustained actions at many different temporal and spatial scales.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Key finding		Biodiversity policy in the Arctic has to reflect the needs of people living in the Arctic, many of whom are indigenous.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Develop binding agreements related to the conservation and/or sustainable use of biodiversity.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Develop realistic scenarios to help predict what could happen, given different policy options, in the short term (10 to 15 years) and the long term (over 50 years).	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Develop targets to stimulate actions and against which progress can be measured.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Develop tools for data sharing so that data collected can be used by a wide range of people engaged in Arctic biodiversity science, policy and management.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Expand both the marine and terrestrial protected areas network and monitor its effectiveness at safeguarding biodiversity.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014
	Advice		Implement Ecosystem Based Management in marine, terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems.	Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014, Co-Chairs Report	2014