Implementing CBMP monitoring plans at field stations

This User Manual is an online tool, under development, which guides the user through the stages needed to implement the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) Freshwater and Terrestrial monitoring plans at Arctic field stations. The tasks required and the tools that need to be developed during each stage are explained, with templates and examples provided. It is intended as a living online tool which will be updated as new directions, developments and opportunities arise; and lessons learned used to evaluate progress and reflect changing priorities on a regular basis.

The CBMP has developed comprehensive frameworks for Marine, Coastal, Terrestrial and Freshwater ecosystems to guide and harmonise Arctic biodiversity monitoring. These Plans now being implemented by Arctic states build on existing capacity and also encourage the expansion of monitoring initiatives and coverage where opportunities exist. They provide guidelines for priority focal ecosystem components (FECs) that should be monitored as part of integrated designs to capture the overall status, function and health of ecosystems and biodiversity, including ecosystem processes, ecological interactions, and species or population trends.

This tool was developed as part of the International Network for terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT) by CAFFs Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP), the RIF Field Station in Iceland; the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS); and Zackenberg Research Station in Greenland.