CHAPTER 4

The ecosystem approach – linking human and biodiversity needs

Protecting human and biodiversity needs Protected areas are important for protecting representative units of global ecosystems and habitats as well as the world’s threatened species. They provide ecosystem services and biological resources, and in some cases are also vehicles for protecting threatened human livelihoods or sites of great cultural and spiritual value17

Category I provides the highest levels of preservation for biodiversity, while Category VI mainly provides for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.

. Traditionally, protected areas

were reserves set aside for the protection of ecosystems, habitats or landscapes, or a combination of these. In 1994, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories, which were endorsed by the CBD COP in 2004. The Guidelines establish six categories of protected area management, based on primary management objectives.

Both IUCN and CBD acknowledge the legitimacy of different governance types of protected areas, including areas governed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The IUCN explains that “good governance of a protected area” can be understood as a governance system that responds to values of the concerned people and country, and that is reflected in legislation and practices17

. II

CBD promotes nature and human well-being, recognizing that “biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro-organisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live”18

I

. This is also applicable in the circumpolar north where the natural world forms the basis of northern local and Indigenous Peoples’ cultures and ways of life.

Most Arctic peoples are highly resilient* but the combined

impacts of climate change and globalization creates new and unexpected challenges19

. The changes brought about by a

warming climate, industrial development, habitat fragmentation, loss of biodiversity, invasive alien species, and pollution can be severe and have unforeseen consequences for Arctic species and ecosystems, as well as for the peoples of the Arctic. Indigenous Peoples’ livelihoods and economy are increasingly tied to distant

* Resilience: ability to cope with stress and recover from catastrophe. LIMITATIONS AND STRENGTHS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS 29