CHAPTER 2 The global importance of Arctic biodiversity I

The Arctic contribution to global biodiversity is significant. Although the Arctic has relatively few species compared to areas such as the tropics, the region is recognised for its genetic diversity, reflecting the many ways in which species have adapted to extreme environment2

. Hundreds

of migrating species (including 279 species of birds, and the grey and humpback whales) travel long distances each year in order to take advantage of the short but productive Arctic summers2

.

In 2005, the Arctic Council’s Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)5

II

provided an overview of Arctic challenges regarding biodiversity and climate change. The ACIA describes the Arctic’s vulnerability to climate change and the role it plays in regulating the Earth’s climate. As a result of global warming, the Arctic has changed dramatically during the past decade. According to scientific observations, the sea ice is retreating and thinning, the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting, and the permafrost is thawing6

. The Arctic region is extremely

In relation to Arctic biodiversity, the ACIA report predicted that: • Arctic vegetation zones will shift, bringing wide-ranging impacts;

• Animal species diversity, ranges, and distribution will change; • Reduced sea ice is very likely to increase marine transport and access to resources;

• Elevated ultraviolet radiation levels will affect people, plants, and animals;

• Multiple influences will interact to cause impacts to people and ecosystems.

The Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group (CAFF) is an important component in assessing and monitoring Arctic biodiversity. CAFF provides information on status and trends in Arctic species and populations and has recently released the Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010: Selected Indicators of Change report, which is the first output of the larger Arctic Biodiversity Assessment scheduled for completion in 2013. The report identifies some trends and stressors on Arctic biodiversity today, and confirms many of the predictions from the ACIA report. Climate change is emerging as the most far-reaching and significant stressor on Arctic biodiversity7

. Over recent decades, some unique

habitats for Arctic flora and fauna have been disappearing. There are, for example, early warning signs of decline in

20 PROTECTING ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY

Some of the Arctic climate trends highlighted by the ACIA report include pronounced increases in temperatures, precipitation, thawing permafrost, and retreating summer sea ice.

vulnerable to climate change and its impacts. Over the next 100 years, climate change is expected to accelerate, contributing to major physical, ecological, social, and economic changes, many of which have already begun5

.