Environmental toxins and heavy metals in the Norwegian Arctic, and monitoring of them

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5.3 Work on biological diversity in the Arctic Council

Biodiversity is a third environmental area that the Arctic Council has been working on since the Council was created. However, biodiversity has not been addressed in the ministerial declarations to the same extent as climate and pollution. But in 2013 the Arctic Council presented a major status report on biodiversity in the Arctic. Biodiversity was not one of the areas Norway prioritised the highest in its Chairman- ship Programme. Norway did, however, emphasise introducing the principle of ecosystem-based management in the Arctic Council. This principle is discussed in more detail in the section on petroleum Section 6.2. 194 Many animal and plant species in the Arctic have adapted to life in the harsh environ- ment, and some are so specialised that they can only exist there. Arctic ecosystems often have few species – there are few levels from the bottom to the top of the food chain. Although the species diversity is low, each species includes several million individuals. 195 In Svalbard, the walrus was protected in 1952. It is one of the species considered endangered in some areas, but measures have led to growth in most colonies. Photo: Harald Faste Aas, Norwegian Polar Institute According to the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, 71 out of 270 assessed species in Svalbard are on the Red List of species considered to be at risk of extinction; most are vascular plants 49. Among all species, 47 are deined as endangered 10 as critically endangered, 15 as highly endangered and 22 as vulnerable and 24 deined as near threatened. 196 The endangered species include polar bears, walruses and harbour seals. Climate change and land-use changes are the factors speciied as afecting most of the Red List species in Svalbard . 197 The Greenland whale is one of the most endangered whale populations in the world, and habitats are reduced because the pack ice in the Arctic is disappearing. 198 194 Norway’s Chairmanship Programme 2006–2008 2009 and SAO report to the ministers in Tromsø, 2009. 195 Norwegian Polar Institute 2008 The Arctic System. Fact sheets. 196 Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, www.artsdatabanken.no. 197 Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, Rødlistete arter på Svalbard Red­Listed species in Svalbard, http:artsdatabanken.noArticleArticle478. [Retrieval date 16 September 2013]. 198 Proposition 1 S 2012–2013 Proposition to the Storting draft resolution – Ministry of the Environment. 88 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report Arctic ecosystems are still relatively pristine, seen from a global perspective. Large parts of Svalbard are protected around 67 per cent, and only a small part of the archipelago is afected by major interventions in the landscape. Biodiversity is largely intact, and the populations of most species that have previously been subjected to over-exploitation, have been rebuilt. 199 According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, it is important to continue to keep the Arctic ecosystems as intact as possible. The areas also serve as key reference sites for other ecosystems in the world, since pristine areas are becoming steadily rarer. According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, more knowledge about how ecosystems work is needed to protect the eco- systems in the Arctic and the biodiversity of this region. 200

5.3.1 The Arctic Council’s work on biological diversity

The Arctic Council working group, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna CAFF, is particularly involved in the work on biological diversity in the Arctic. The Norwegian Environment Agency heads the Norwegian delegation in the working group, while the Norwegian Polar Institute serves as technical adviser. According to its mandate, CAFF works on issues related to preserving biodiversity in the Arctic and disseminating knowledge and indings to the authorities and the general public in the Arctic. The working group also works to promote the sustainable use of all living resources in the Arctic. CAFF has its own expert groups 201 that map Arctic lora and fauna, as well as seabirds and marine mammals. National monitoring data is an important source in the work of the working group. Biodiversity in the ministerial declarations Biodiversity has been a recurring central theme of the Arctic Council and since its creation, CAFF has published several reports on biodiversity in the Arctic. The reports span the gamut from mapping individual species to major reports on the status and trends of ecosystems and biological diversity in the Arctic. However, only two of these reports have been directly mentioned in the ministerial declarations – in addition to ACIA cf. Section 5.1 on the climate. The ministers also emphasised CAFF’s eforts to achieve monitoring of the biodiversity throughout the Arctic. In 2001, CAFF published the report Arctic Flora and Fauna: Status and Conservation 202 , which contains a number of recommendations to safeguard biodiver- sity in the Arctic. This report presents, for the irst time, a comprehensive overview of Arctic ecosystems, habitats and species, as well as threats and challenges associated with their management. In 2002, the Ministerial Meeting agreed with the report’s recommendations as a strategy for the Arctic Council’s eforts to conserve Arctic biodiversity. The ACIA report emphasises the need to increase awareness of the impact of climate change on Arctic lora and fauna and Arctic habitats and improve the monitoring of biodiversity in the Arctic. The Arctic Council asked two of its working groups, CAFF and AMAP, to consider the indings of the report and develop follow-up programmes to meet the challenges of the future Arctic. In that connection, CAFF proposed the establishment of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program CBMP. 203 199 Report No. 22 2008–2009 to the Storting Svalbard. 200 Norwegian Environment Agency 2013 Miljøsamarbeid i Nord Arktis Environmental Cooperation in the NorthArctic, http:m.gazettebeta.nonoTema­dirnatNaturmangfoldInternasjonalt­miljosamarbeidMiljosamarbeid­i­nordomradeneArktis. 201 CAFF has six expert groups: 1 Circumpolar Flora Group, CFG, 2 Seabirds CBird, 3 Circumpolar Protected Areas Network CPAN active 1996–2010, 4 Marine Ecosystems Monitoring, 5 Freshwater Ecosystems Monitoring, 6 Terrestrial Ecosystems Monitoring. 202 CAFF 2001 Arctic Flora and Fauna: Status and Conservation. 203 Need for the CBMP, www.caff.isabout­the­cbmp. 89 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report CBMP is an international network of scientists, public authorities, indigenous peoples’ organisations and environmental protection organisations whose purpose is to coordinate and integrate measures for monitoring living resources in the Arctic. The ministers support the CBMP as CAFF’s cornerstone programme, and the Arctic states are encouraged to actively contribute to monitoring. Since the establishment of the CBMP, the ministers have supported CAFF in the need to provide decision-makers and management with a summary of available scientiic and traditional ecological knowledge of Arctic biodiversity. 204 Eforts to create such a summary resulted in the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment ABA in 2013, with an interim report in 2010. The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna CAFF working group has contributed much information on biodiversity, particularly with the study published in 2013. In the opinion of the Norwegian Environment Agency, the Arctic Council does not cover the connection between use and protection well enough. The ministers support the recommendations of the report in the Kiruna Declaration 2013. The SAOs were instructed to prepare a plan to follow up the report’s recom- mendations and deliver a progress report at the next Ministerial Meeting in 2015. The ministers are concerned about the degradation of biodiversity, and that climate change is the greatest threat. The ministers encourage the Arctic states to implement measures to maintain biodiversity in the Arctic and to implement internationally agreed biodiversity targets. The countries are encouraged to collaborate on manage- ment measures for vulnerable species and ecosystems, and to continue both the exist- ing research on Arctic biodiversity and monitoring eforts through the CBMP. Norwegian authorities’ assessment of the Arctic Council’s work on biodiversity In the opinion of the Ministry of the Environment, the Arctic Council’s technical production has not been equally distributed among the diferent areas covered by the Arctic Council. According to the Ministry, the activity level within biodiversity has been low for some time, both because the ield is technically demanding, and because politically speaking, it is more diicult for the Arctic Council to handle. The situation 204 CAFF 2010 Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010 – Selected indicators of change. 90 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report makes it harder to initiate circumpolar projects on biodiversity, according to the Ministry. CAFF has had fewer resources than the other working groups in addition to that it is very costly to monitor biodiversity. While biodiversity projects are usually concerned with how the individual member states manage their own natural environment, climate challenges are global and largely caused by sources outside the Arctic region. According to the Ministry, CAFF’s report on Arctic biodiversity, Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013, has, however, given biodiversity work in the Arctic Council a solid boost. The Ministry views the report as an important work and a basis for fostering more extensive cooperation in this area. 205 The Norwegian Environment Agency noted that in recent years CAFF has undergone a positive transformation by which the working group largely fulils its mandate of promoting sustainable exploitation of biodiversity in the Arctic, and disseminating knowledge on the status of and trends of these resources. The trend towards larger projects, such as the report from 2013 and the CBMP, contributes, in the Agency’s view, to better products and more visible results. According to the Agency, CAFF and the Arctic Council have, through their work, contributed considerable information about biodiversity in the Arctic, which would have been very costly in terms of resources for Norway to obtain alone. The Agency, however, pointed out that the relationship between biodiversity and the economic value biodiversity represents is not suiciently incorporated into the work of CAFF and the Arctic Council. The Agency also noted here that the organisation of the Arctic Council is not in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity and Norwegian policy. An unfortunate distinction is drawn in the Arctic Council between CAFF and the Sustainable Development Working Group SDWG – where the relationship between the use of biological resources and protection of biodiversity is not suiciently considered. CAFF and international conventions on biological diversity In contrast to what is the case in the climate and pollution area, the Arctic Council – apart from referring to the 2009 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears – has not given any recommendation to the member states to participate in any explicit international convention on biodiversity. However, the Arctic Council has, as noted above, recommended that countries work together on international conventions. In addition, CAFF directs much of its outreach activities at international organisations and conventions relevant to the protection of biodiversity in the Arctic. The Norwegian Environment Agency and CAFF pointed out that the working group provides information to international conventions such as the Convention on Biologi- cal Diversity CBD. The Agency added that CAFF is recognised as a key provider of information on Arctic biodiversity to the Convention’s scientiic body. CAFF also provides technical contributions to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals the Bonn Convention and the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. Data from the CBMP will also be used in such contexts, and is ofered to other organisations outside the Arctic Council, such as the European Environment Agency. 206 205 Interview with the Ministry of the Environment on 26 August 2013. 206 Interview with the Norwegian Environment Agency on 13 June 2013. 91 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report The Norwegian Environment Agency stated that CAFF also works to ensure national implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Conven- tion. A decision has also been made to cooperate with the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement AEWA to protect aquatic birds migrating between Africa, Europe and Asia. 207 For a description of the conventions and agreements, see Fact box 6. CAFF also noted that an important follow-up study on biological diversity ABA, 2013 is to consider the international fora to which the various recommendations can be addressed. 208 CAFF presents its work at various international meetings, 209 and is in the process of establishing an open online data system, the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service, with updated information on biodiversity in the Arctic. Fact box 6 Conventions and agreements on biodiversity The Convention on Biological Diversity CBD is the most important global agreement for protecting biodiversity, ensuring sustainable use of biological resources and ensuring that the beneits from utilisation of genetic resources are shared equally among the countries. All Arctic states, with the exception of the United States, have signed the treaty, but the United States is considering ratifying it. In CAFF’s view, however, the United States is very active in the Convention. The Ministry of the Environ- ment is the management authority and national liaison for the Convention in Norway. The Ramsar Convention is a global treaty whose purpose is to protect wetlands through conservation and sustainable use. Wetlands provide vital ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water supply, lood control, iltering and decomposition of pollutants and excess nutrients. Furthermore, wetlands are breeding and nursery grounds for a variety of waterfowl species and resting grounds for migratory birds. The Norwegian Environment Agency is the management authority and scientiic authority for the Convention. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals the Bonn Convention is a global agreement whose purpose is to protect populations of migratory wild animals that regularly cross national borders. The Convention does not distinguish between terrestrial and marine animals, and it also includes the protection of animal habitats. Of the members of the Arctic Council, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland have signed the agreement, while Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Russia and the United States have not. The Convention is a framework agreement that for many species only becomes binding through special agreements. The African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement AEWA on the protection of migratory waterbirds in the Western Palaearctic and throughout Africa is a special agreement under the Bonn Convention. The Norwegian Environment Agency is the Norwegian management authority for both the Bonn Convention and agreements under this Convention. The Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears for the protection of polar bears and their habitats is an international agreement that obligates Norway and the other four polar bear countries, Canada, the United States, Greenland and Russia, to protect the ecosystems of which polar bears are a part. United Nations Association. Convention on Biological Diversity. www.globalis.no. Norwegian Environment Agency. Convention on Biological Diversity CBD. www.miljodirektoratet.no. Ministry of the Environment. Miljøkonvensjonene. The environmental conventions. www.regjeringen.no. 207 Focus group meeting with the Norwegian Environment Agency et al on 9 March 2012 and interview with the Agency on 13 June 2013. 208 Interview with the Norwegian Environment Agency on 13 June 2013. 209 Focus group meeting on 9 March 2012.