Wetlands have enormous value, yet their role in supporting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, supporting traditional livelihoods, and providing other ecosystem services is not widely appreciated. This is arguably even more the case with Arctic wetlands, which while making up a large portion of terrestrial area in the Arctic, are recently gaining attention from wetlands advocates such as the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, NGOs such as Wetlands International, and other bodies with a wetlands focus.
A summary of CAFF programs, projects and activities from 2004-2006 to the Senior Arctic Officials and Arctic Council Ministers.
The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group of the Arctic Council (www.caff.is) is undertaking an initiative on enhancing engagement at all levels (technical, policy, etc) in relation to the roles and functions of Arctic wetlands as a resource to support sustainable development and resilience in the circumpolar Arctic. The overall goalof the project is to develop recommendations to support policy measures and management strategies to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here we report on the activities and outcomes of phase 1 of this project, which includes a survey of wetland inventories in Arctic countries and a scoping literature review of research on Arctic wetlands to identify where knowledge is currently lacking. Phase two of this project addresses itself to knowledge gaps (as identifiedin this report) pertaining to wetlands status, wetlands uses, and to regulatory and management practices, all of which are needed for developing recommendations for potential policy and management actions.
The operating guidelines of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) including the management, role of the international secretariat, role and managemnet of CAFF meetings, subgroups, activities and projects, proposal review and approval, meeting document management, and reporting.
A Global Audit of the Status and Trends of Arctic And Northern Hemisphere Goose Populations(Component 2: Population accounts)
A framework document for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) that outlines CAFF goals, mandate, functions, operating principles, managemnet and implementation, reporting, and resources.
This is a review of the abundance, status and distribution of natural wild goose populations in thenorthern hemisphere. The report comprises three parts of which this report is part 1. Part 1summarises key findings from the study and themethodology and analysis applied; Part two will contain the individualaccounts for each of the 68 populations included in thisreport; and part 3 will provide the datasets compiled for this studywhich will be made accessible on the Arctic Biodiversity DataService. Part two and three are still to be published.
Note: The printed copy of this report contains errors, the digital version is correct
The State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report (SAMBR) is a synthesis of the state of knowledge about biodiversity in Arctic marine ecosystems, detectable changes, and important gaps in our ability to assess state and trends in biodiversity across six focal ecosystem components (FECs): marine mammals, seabirds, marine fishes, benthos, plankton, and sea ice biota.
This report presents an overview of CAFF work since the previous Senior Arctic Officials meeting, and a summary of the key issues facing Arctic biodiversity as discussed at the CAFF Biennial meeting.
The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) and Protection of the Arctic Marine Environments (PAME) working groups of the Arctic Council developed this indicator report. It provides an overview of the status and trends of protected areas in the Arctic.
Provides a summary report to Arctic Council Ministers on major CAFF programs, projects and activities, 2007-2009.
This report, written in large part by Arctic indigenous peoples, acknowledges the importance of including Arctic indigenous peoples Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom (TK&W) in scientific efforts to fully understand the nature of biodiversity and biodiversity changes in the North.
This report summarizes population status and trends for 19 populations of Arctic seabirds within the AEWA area. It is a 2014 update of the 2011 CAFF report that was compiled as an input to the 2012 African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Birds in the Agreement Area (abbreviated Conservation Status Report, CSR) being prepared by Wetlands International
Provides a summary report to Arctic Council Ministers on major CAFF programs, projects and activities, 2009-2011.
The report presents the results of the scoping study on ecosystem services and the application of a TEEB approach and methodology in the Arctic and concludes with options for follow-up work.
Outlines the goals, objectives, and descriptions of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Expert Working Groups: CAFF's Flora Group (CFG), the Circumpolar Seabird Working Group (CBird), the Circumpolar Protected Areas Network (CPAN).
This report presents the results of the scoping study on ecosystem services and the application of a TEEB approach and methodology in the Arctic. The report includes: 1) Results from compiling and synthesizing information, issues, current practices, methodologies and perspectives on Arctic ecosystem services and their values in relation to decision making, 2)List and discussion of policy areas identified during the scoping study for potential follow up using TEEB methodology, and 3) Way forward options, including, but not limited to, application of TEEB methodology to policy focus areas, and consideration of options for practical implementation of TEEB at a range of jurisdictional and spatial scales.
A summary report produced by Wetlands International of the CAFF Workshop on Migratory Arctic Birds, Songli, Norway, September 10-11, 2000. The workshop aimed to facilitate improved co-ordination and collaboration among Arctic countries sharing migratory bird species and/or populations with those countries outside the Arctic that are responsible for Arctic breeding birds during the non-breeding season.
This report aims to describe the broad-scale trends necessary for designing and targeting informed conservation strategies at the flyway level to address these reported declines.
Discusses the history, purpose, approach perpectives, development and action plan for the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP).
This document, Actions for Biodiversity 2013- 2021: implementing the recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, comprises the implementation plan for the 17 recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA).
It is a living document that will be reviewed and updated every two years. The plan is not meant to be exhaustive or to replace working group work plans; rather it is complimentary, emphasizing specific actions that address the ABA recommendations.
A newsletter of the Arctic Birds Breeding Conditions Survey (ABBCS).
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Arctic Scoping Study is an early implementation pilot project that follows up on specific recommendations of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA).
TEEB aims to bring biodiversity into mainstream decision makingmaking nature an important part of policy related to business, social and economic development, not just policy directly related to environmental management.
TEEB is a global initiative coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). TEEB draws attention to the benefits that people gain from nature (ecosystem services), including food from fishing and hunting, maintenance of culture, water, enjoyment of wilderness, nature and wildlife, and provision of raw materials. Equally important but less obvious benefits include climate regulation and flood control. TEEB also brings attention to the costs to society when ecosystems are damaged and when plant and animal populations are lost. TEEB provides an analytical approach, tools and guidance that can help make the range of natures benefits more visible when politicians, businesses and others make decisions that might affect these benefits or put them at risk.
Issittumi Uumassuseqarnerup assigiinngisitaarneranik naliliineq
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis (in Greenlandic)
A stand alone synthesis document summarizing the characteristcs of Arctic biodiversity, human use of wildlife over time, status and trends in Arctic biodiversity, stressors and their alleviation, knowledge gaps and suggested conservation and research priorities.
The Co-Chairs Report from the Arctic Biodiversity Congress, held December 2-4, 2014.
Issittumi Uumassuseqassutsip assigiinngisitaarneranik naliliineq Eqikkaaneq – qinikkanut atugassiaq
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Report for Policy Makers (Greenlandic). Find the nine key findings and 17 recommendations CAFF makes to the Arctic Council.
Evaluering af Arktisk Biodiversitet: Sammenfatning til Politiske Beslutningstagere
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Report for Policy Makers (Danish). Find the nine key findings and 17 recommendations CAFF makes to the Arctic Council.
Evaluering af Arktisk Biodiversitet: Syntese
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis (in Danish)
Publishing information and table of contents for the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis
Life Linked to Ice examines the consequences for biodiversity of the dramatic changes occurring to sea ice. It was prepared by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group (CAFF), and both draws from and builds on Arctic Council assessments in order to present an overview of the state of knowledge about sea-ice-associated biodiversity. The report is intended as a briefing and reference document for policy makers.
AMAP/CAFF/SDW G, 2013. Identification of Arctic marine areas of heightened ecological and cultural significance: Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) IIc. Oslo. 114 pp. 2013. Identification of Arctic marine areas of heightened ecological and cultural significance: Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) IIc
Évaluation de la biodiversité de l’Arctique Résumé destiné aux décideurs
>Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Report for Policy Makers (French). Find the nine key findings and 17 recommendations CAFF makes to the Arctic Council.
Download a package of nine postcards that detail the key findings of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment.
Also available in
DanishEvenFinnishFrenchGreenlandicIcelandicInuktitutRussianSakhaYukagir
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Cover, Table of Contents and Acknowledgements.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, Summary
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, chapter 7, Suggested conservation and research priorities
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, chapter 5, Stressors and their alleviation
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, Status and trends in Arctic Biodiversity as a standalone document.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, References
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, Preface
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis,chapter 6, Knowledge gaps
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, chapter 3, Introduction
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, chapter 3: Human use of wildlife through time
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, Foreword
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis, chapter 2, Characteristics of Arctic Biodiversity.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Status and Trends in Arctic Biodiversity full scientific report (fishes and terrestrial ecosystems chapters still pending). The ABA is the best available science, informed by Traditoinal Ecological Knowledge, on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Synthesis. A stand alone synthesis document summarizing the characteristcs of Arctic biodiversity, human use of wildlife over time, status and trends in Arctic biodiversity, stressors and their alleviation, knowledge gaps and suggested conservation and research priorities.
ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᐃᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᖏᑦᑑᑎᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᖓᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑐᑭᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᓂᖏᑦ ᓇᐃᓈᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᑐᐊᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Report for Policy Makers (Inuktitut). Find the nine key findings and 17 recommendations CAFF makes to the Arctic Council.
Оценка биоразнообразия в Арктике Резюме для политического руководства
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Report for Policy Makers (Russian). Find the nine key findings and 17 recommendations CAFF makes to the Arctic Council.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Report for Policy Makers (English). Find the nine key findings and 17 recommendations CAFF makes to the Arctic Council.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Preface by CAFF and Steering Committee Chairmen
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Foreword by the chief scientist
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Introduction
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 20, Linguistic Diversity
Proposals from the Sustaining Arctic Observing Network (SAON) Steering Group on how to incorporate community based monitoring and traditional knowledge into the SAON process.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 19, Disturbance, Feedbacks and Conservation
This document will faciliatate the implementation of initiatives under the Circumpolar Portected Areas Network (CPAN) to establish an adequate and well managed network of protected areas that have a high probability of maintainng the dynmaic biodiversity of the Arctic region in perpetuity.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 18, Provisioning and Cultural Services
The first progress report from the Circumpolar Protected Areas Network (CPAN).
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 17, Genetics
Principles and guidelines to facilitate a common regional approach to area protection among the eight Arctic countries and to selecting and designing important sites within the Arctic.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 16, Invasive Species: Human-Induced
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 15, Parasites
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 14, Marine Ecosystems
An update report describing actions taken by the CAFF countries to establish new protected areas since the publication of the 1997 CPAN Progress Report.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 13, Freshwater Ecosystems
The CPAN Charter, idnetifying the goals, objectives and administration of CAFF's protected areas expert working group.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 12, Terrestrial Ecosystems
A report to the CAFF Board on the progress of CFG activities during 2006.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 11, Microorganisms
A report to the CAFF Board detailing the progress of CFG activities during 2003.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 10, Fungi
A report to the CAFF Board detailing progress on CFG activities during 2002.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 9, Plants
A progress report for the CAFF Board summarizing CFG's 2005 activities.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 8, Marine Invertebrates
An update to the CAFF Board on CBird activities.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 7, Terrestrial and Freshwater Invertebrates
The proceedings of CBird's fifteenth meeting.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 6, Fishes
Proceedings of CBird's 14th meeting.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 5, Amphibians and Reptiles
Proceedings of CBird's thirteenth meeting in Stockholm Sweden.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 4, Birds
The proceedings of CBird's eleventh annual meeting.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 3, Mammals
The proceedings from the eighth CBird meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 2, Species Diversity in the Arctic
The proceedings of CBird's ninth annual meeting.
Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 2013: Chapter 1, Synthesis: implications for conservation
The CBird newsletter, a tool for exchanging seabird information and publishing summaries of CBird activities.
This is the first truely circumpolar overview of Arctic biodiversity and provides a clear understanding of the importance of the Earth's largest ecoregion and its status in the face of a rapidly changing world.
The overall goal of the workshop was to identify possible synergies between organisations and networks working with Arctic terrestrial biodiversity, and to agree on common actions to improve the collaboration and communication (see appendix 1 and 2 for further information about agenda and participants).
This report is a technical account of a Gap Analysis Project conducted for the Russian Arctic in 1997-1999 in support of the Circumpolar Protected Areas Network (CPAN) of CAFF. It updates the status and spatial distribution of protected areas within the CAFF area of the Russian Federation and provides, in 22 GIs based maps and several data sets, a wealth of information relevant for present and future management decisions related to habitat conservation in the Russian Arctic.
Proceedings of the first Terrestrial Expert Monitoring Group workshop to develop a multidisciplinary, integrated, pan-Arctic, long-term terrestrial biodiversity monitoring plan.
This report provides an overview of porposals made by CAFF countries for new and/or enlarged protected areas in the Arctic.
An assessment on the status of protected areas in the Arctic, as of 1994.
The goal of the workshop was (i) for selected protected area experts and practitioners to discuss relevant arctic protected areas issues and opportunities for coordinated approaches to biodiversity monitoring, (2) to review the provide opportunity for all Arctic Council country and permanent participants to share key monitoring considerations for the group to address; (3)and provide direction and enhancements to the draft protected area discussion paper in preparation for the development of an arctic protected area monitoring framework.
This documents the vascular flora of the Arctic to identify rare taxa endemic to the region, establish an annotated list of these taxa, and determine the level of protection currently afforded these plants.
Twenty-two scientists, managers and community experts from the five Arctic polar bear nations, met in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to help develop a pan-Arctic monitoring plan for polar bears as part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF).
