Work on pollutants and heavy metals including within the Arctic Council
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Fact box 7 National environmental monitoring programmes
Environmental Monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen MOSJ is part of the state monitoring of the environment in Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute has primary responsibility for the develop-
ment and operation of MOSJ. The programme monitors the environment in the atmosphere, on land and in the sea areas around Svalbard and Jan Mayen. The largest suppliers of data to the monitoring
system are the Governor of Svalbard, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Meteorological Institute, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and Norwegian Polar Institute.
According to MOSJ, this is the most comprehensive environmental monitoring programme in the Arctic. Its duties are to collect,
process and interpret environmental data and advise management on the need for action, research or improved monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
SEAPOP is a comprehensive and long-term monitoring and mapping programme for Norwegian sea- birds. The programme represents a new initiative for these activities along the Norwegian coast, in
Svalbard and adjacent sea areas, and will provide and maintain base-line knowledge of seabirds to improve the management of these marine environments. Collecting data that will make it possible to
model the effects of human intervention and distinguish these from those primarily caused by natural variation, is emphasised. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Norwegian Polar Institute and
Tromsø Museum – The University Museum is responsible for carrying out the programme. MAREANO maps depth and topography, sediment composition, biodiversity, habitats and biotopes as
well as pollution in the seabed in Norwegian coastal and marine areas. The Institute of Marine Research, the Geological Survey of Norway and the Norwegian Mapping Authority Hydrographic
Service comprise the Executive Group which is responsible for carrying out MAREANO ield sampling and other scientiic activities. Executive responsibility for implementing MAREANO’s activities lies with
the programme group, which is led by the Directorate of Fisheries.
Norwegian Polar Institute. Environmental Monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen – MOSJ, http:mosj.npolar.no. Norwegian Polar Institute. Environmental Monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen – MOSJ, http:mosj.npolar.no.
SEAPOP, a milestone for mapping and monitoring seabirds in Norway, www.seapop.no. MAREANO, About MAREANO, www.mareano.noom_mareano.
The Norwegian Polar Institute’s research and expedition vessel RV Lance is used mostly in the Arctic, but also in the Antarctic. In January 2015, the vessel will be frozen in the drift ice north of Svalbard and drift
with the ice for six months.
Photo: Sebastian Gerland, Norwegian Polar Institute
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Mapping and monitoring biodiversity is a resource-intensive and complex area, and the Ministry of the Environment sees that it would be practical to have a better over-
view of the impact of and developments in this area. Climate change has a great and growing impact on biodiversity in the Arctic, and it is therefore particularly important
to focus on monitoring and researching the efects of climate change. Special pro- grammes for precisely this purpose have therefore been established at the Fram Centre
in Tromsø. Collaboration is also taking place in monitoring and researching climate impacts on biodiversity throughout the Arctic, but the work is still in the development
phase. Here is an overview of all relevant Norwegian monitoring measures in that regard.
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The Ministry of the Environment pointed out in general that the Norwegian environ- mental monitoring programmes were primarily created to meet national needs for
knowledge. Much of Norwegian environmental monitoring is also adapted to interna- tional agreements and conventions. Environmental monitoring and collection of data
take place independently of the Arctic Council, but the Arctic Council and its working groups can use the national data as a basis for their work.
The Ministry pointed out that the Norwegian mainland, Jan Mayen and Svalbard – and the ocean areas surrounding the mainland and up towards these archipelagos –
is well-covered by monitoring programmes, and there is a good supply of data. The peripheral Arctic areas – the high Arctic areas – currently do not have suicient
monitoring and for these areas the monitoring data may be deicient. Whether that is the case, however, will vary geographically and depending on the type of data to be
collected.
The Ministry also noted that although there is a lack of knowledge about the state of the environment in some areas, this must be weighed against the beneits and costs of
securing a full overview and knowledge in all areas.
The Norwegian Environment Agency emphasises that it is essential for the Arctic Council to work with the individual countries to gain access to information from the
national environmental monitoring systems. While Norway has made relatively good progress on marine monitoring, an efective system has not, in the Agency’s opinion,
been established for monitoring biodiversity in protected areas. Norway has therefore not been able to contribute to information sharing in this and other ields and corre-
sponding challenges also apply to the other countries.
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214 Interview with the Ministry of the Environment on 31 May 2012. 215 Focus group meeting on 9 March 2012.
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6 Economic activity and development in the Arctic
In the Ottawa Declaration, the member states agreed to ensure the sustainable devel- opment of the Arctic, including economic and social development.
In the Norwegian Chairmanship Programme, Norwegian authorities pointed out that the Arctic Council should initiate a broad policy debate on all matters of importance
to the Arctic and those who live there. That includes economic activity such as energy, isheries and mineral activities, and other matters of common interest afecting social
and economic development. It was pointed out that the sustainable use of resources should be a key area for cooperation in the Arctic Council. Reference is also made in
this connection to Norway’s commitment to ecosystem-based management.
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There is general agreement that there is great potential for commercial activities in the Arctic – both the exploitation of natural resources especially oil, gas and other
minerals and maritime transport. The same applies to tourism, including cruise operations. The climate changes described in Section 5.1 will probably intensify this
development in that access to natural resources is increasing, and because the de - glaciation that is taking place may provide a basis for increased ship traic. Increased
commercial activity will consequently require work on safety and environmental protection in vulnerable areas such as the Arctic.
This facts section will look at the economic activities the Arctic Council is examining. The activities are primarily related to safety and emergency preparedness – activities
that will protect commercial operations and their employees and the environment from undesirable incidents. This chapter is further divided into the following areas:
1 shipping, 2 oil and gas production and 3 emergency preparedness against acute pollution.
At the Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna 2013 it was agreed to establish a task force
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whose mandate was to facilitate the creation of a forum for dialogue with business and industry in the Arctic. The recommendation from the working group was dis-
cussed at the SAO meeting in March 2014 and agreement was reached on the princi- ples for creating the Arctic Economic Council AEC. All member states and indige-
nous peoples’ organisations will appoint three business representatives each to attend a statutory meeting. The AEC is to be operated by the business community, and its
mission is to strengthen industrial economic cooperation in the Arctic Council.