A Strategy for Facilitating and Promoting Community-based Monitoring (CBM) Approaches in Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring, identifies how to incorporate CBM activities into the CAFF Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP).

CAFF, through the CBMP, seeks to facilitate and promote CBM projects and their R20;championsR21; in all aspects of its activities.  The CBMP can provide value added services to CBM initiatives, such as certain aspects of data management and reporting, training manuals, and assistance for CBM representatives to attend meetings and events organized through the CBMP. Additionally, the CBMP will help connect CBM projects with related monitoring efforts through its Expert Monitoring Groups (EMGs) and member monitoring networks.   

The CBMP has three primary goals with respect to CBM:

1. To incorporate data, interpretation, and expertise from CBM in the CBMPR17;s efforts to detect, understand and report on significant Arctic biodiversity trends.
2. To make CBMP data, interpretation, and expertise available to CBM efforts.
3. To promote the extension and/or replication of established CBM approaches and programs to other regions of the Arctic in conjunction with existing monitoring networks.

The CBMP believes that CBM has significant contributions to make to circumpolar monitoring efforts. The Arctic CouncilR17;s Permanent Participants and other Indigenous and local organizations desire a strong CBM element within the CBMP. The communities of the Arctic region will directly benefit from the powerful information gathering and dissemination approach that the CBMP offers. Maximizing the contributions of circumpolar peoples to the CBMP will help ensure that the program is relevant and responsive to local concerns.