CHAPTER 1

Framing the discussion Defining biodiversity

I

For the purposes of this report, the following definition adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is used:

“Biodiversity” means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and ecological complexes of which they are a part: this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.

“Ecosystem” means a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and micro-organism communities and their non- living environment interacting as a functional unit.

II

In examining Arctic biodiversity, it must be recognized that some natural forces, whether or not triggered by human activities, may now be at work in ways that could have fundamental impacts on Arctic biodiversity and Arctic ecosystems as they are today.

In attempting to assess the effectiveness of MEAs, it is necessary to clarify whether the objective is to preserve the status quo, slow the rate of change, or adapt to fundamental changes in ecosystems. Presumably, all three of these objectives underlie efforts to make MEAs effective tools in helping to protect Arctic biodiversity.

Defining the Arctic Further complicating any study of the effectiveness of MEAs in relation to Arctic biodiversity is determining what is meant by “Arctic”. Unfortunately there is no single definition of the Arctic agreed upon among scientists, policy-makers, and inhabitants of the region. Furthermore, the implementation of MEAs in relation to the Arctic is highly dependent on

14 PROTECTING ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY

The Arctic and its natural resources – some facts and figures:

• The central feature of the Arctic is the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean has the widest continental shelf of all the oceans.

• With climate change, the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route may become increasingly important navigation routes. Currently, however, a sparse network of air, river and land routes surround the Arctic Ocean1

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• Boreal forests of the Arctic cover about 17% of the global land area, representing the largest natural forests in the world1, p.34

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• Together with the Antarctic, the Arctic contains the largest freshwater resource on Earth2, p.66

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• Seven of the world’s ten largest wilderness areas are located in the Arctic region2

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• The total catch of wild fish in the Arctic mounted to 7.26 million tonnes, or 10% of the world catch (2002 data)1, p.33

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• Approximately 3.2% of the world’s gold production comes from the Arctic1, p.32

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• Arctic Russia produces 21% of the global gem-quality diamonds, while almost 15% of the world production is now being extracted from northern Canada1, p.32

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• About 10% of the global oil production and 25% of the global gas production takes place in the Arctic3

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national policies within the eight Arctic states of Canada, Denmark (Greenland and Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation and the United States of America (Alaska). The selection of case studies in Part II provides examples.