CHAPTER 5 I

Highlighting the main issues Increasing pressures on Arctic biodiversity

The biggest environmental challenges that affect Arctic biodiversity, ecosystem services, and economically important biological resources include climate change, industrial and associated infrastructure development both on land and at sea, resource depletion (e.g., fisheries and forestry), pollution, and increased human activity (e.g., shipping, tourism, military activities, overharvesting). Climate change is emerging as the most significant stressor on Arctic biodiversity7

. There II

are many uncertainties surrounding the rate and direction of climate change and the impact this will have on Arctic biodiversity. The consequences of global warming are likely to increase the pressure on biodiversity from other sources like contamination (e.g. the secondary release of POPs from melting snow, ice and permafrost), invasive species, and the development and extraction of oil and gas and other resources (see Part II for examples). The increased stress could threaten the resilience and sustainability of the Arctic’s biodiversity and the overall balance of its ecosystems, and thereby the Arctic ecosystem services and Arctic peoples’ livelihoods.

During the 1970s and 1980s when many MEAs were originally negotiated, climate change was not perceived as an immediate threat to Arctic biodiversity. Over-use of resources, destruction of habitat from development activities, pollution, poor management, and other anthropogenic causes of biodiversity loss were the more typical considerations of MEAs. While many existing MEAs might be effective, if fully implemented, against conventional threats caused by local, Arctic state, or regional activities, the majority of human contributions to

32 PROTECTING ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY