Recommendations

Project	Type	#	Outcome	Report	Year
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Key finding	1.2.5	Suggestions for Wetlands Planning, Research, and Management. Document Indigenous wetland resource use to allow management authorities to make decisions that respect and accommodate Indigenous resource use by ensuring that subsistence activities are not unnecessarily impeded by management actions. Information may be collected on subsistence species, types of subsistence practices, levels of reliance, and legal access. Develop protected area participation plans to specify cooperative objectives, participating entities, and terms of evaluation so that management authorities can continue to engage Indigenous Peoples when experiencing turn-over. Broaden wetland research priorities to further the goals of biodiversity conservation and Arctic food security by (1) conducting research with Indigenous knowledge holders on wetland ecosystems, (2) examining the intersection of wetland biodiversity and Arctic food security, and (3) prioritizing species of both conservation and subsistence interest. Support community-based wetlands monitoring to help researchers and managers partner with Indigenous knowledge holders, identify ecosystem services, monitor for rapid environmental change, support year round sampling, support collection of current and historic observational information, and reinforce results from scientific studies. Connect beyond wetlands so as to explore the interactions between and beyond inland and coastal wetlands and examine opportunities between CAFF projects such as RMAWI, the Salmon Peoples of the Arctic, the Seabird Working Group, and the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative to further facilitate research on Indigenous relationships with Arctic biodiversity. Foster engagement in wetlands management productively by (1) approaching Indigenous participation as an opportunity, (2) seeking to build partnerships with Indigenous governments, organizations, and communities, (3) engaging Indigenous leadership and communities at the beginning of the process, and (4) welcoming elders to participate while actively recruiting Indigenous youth to contribute to management and conservation decisions.	Arctic Wetlands and Indigenous Peoples Study: An assessment of Indigenous engagement in wetland protected areas	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Key finding		While policy pertaining to Arctic wetlands is expansive, preliminary evidence points to three key challenges for effective policy: inconsistency and/or conflict between policies and goals addressed to different aspects of wetlands, the distribution of responsibility for policy implementation into agencies and departments with differing, sometimes contrasting missions, difficulties with good communications between responsible agencies and departments	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands Phase 2 Report	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Recommendation	2	Actively support efforts to maintain or strengthen natural ecosystem capacity for climate change mitigation, primarily through conservation and restoration measures in Arctic and Boreal wetlands.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Recommendation	18	Inventory, harmonize and pool knowledge about financial models and frameworks being used to support restoration and conservation and investigate potential pan-Arctic or transboundary initiatives, with a particular focus on engagement by local and Indigenous Peoples.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Key finding	8	Improved public and policy maker understanding of wetland functions and vulnerability would likely foster greater interest in protecting and conserving Arctic wetlands and strengthen involvement in promoting sustainable wetland use. Yet, the ways in which public opinion and networks of interested commercial and civil society organizations influence the development and implementation of wetlands conservation, restoration and stewardship in the Arctic are poorly understood. Systematic knowledge of the array of interest organizations’ relationships to wetlands and how they engage on questions of balancing conservation and use would support the development of more coherent and effective policies.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Recommendation	11	Support research on how public opinion, in national, regional, local, and Indigenous communities as well as societal interests’ policy and advocacy networks affect development and implementation of Arctic wetlands policy, restoration efforts, and management.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Advice	2	Developing Participation Plans: Developing participation plans alongside management and conservation plans may aid in navigating long-term Indigenous engagement in management efforts.	Arctic Wetlands and Indigenous Peoples Study: An assessment of Indigenous engagement in wetland protected areas	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Key finding	1	Arctic wetlands provide important ecosystem services to Arctic and global communities, including cooling the global climate. They provide clean water and buffer floods and droughts, support fisheries and hunting, support biodiversity, and act as long-term sinks for atmospheric carbon. Wetlands are an integral part of many Indigenous Peoples’ lives; they provide and sustain food security, including grazing for traditional reindeer herding. Recognition of wetlands’ importance, including in the Arctic, is growing as their role in sustaining a wide range of ecosystem services becomes better understood.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Recommendation	4	Develop pan-Arctic inventory of protected wetlands and completed, ongoing or planned restoration projects, Indigenous led and partnership projects, with country cases contributed by each Arctic State and with the list to be managed by CAFF. Such cases can serve as pilot and demonstration projects for other rapid action.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021
Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands (RAW)	Recommendation	20	Integrate wetland monitoring with CAFF CBMP monitoring where possible, with the CBMP Terrestrial, Coastal and Freshwater monitoring plans.	Resilience and Management of Arctic Wetlands: Key Findings and Recommendations	2021