The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) was released at the Arctic Council Ministerial on May 15th in Kiruna, Sweden. The report contains knowledge on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and is accompanied by a number of policy recommendations for biodiversity conservation.
The report, that was presented to the Foreign Ministers of the Arctic Council countries, states that "Arctic biodiversity is being degraded, but decisive action taken now can help sustain the vast, relatively undisturbed ecosystems of tundra, mountains, fresh water and seas and the valuable services they provide". The opportunity for proactive action can minimize or prevent problems that would be costly or impossible to reverse in the future. The key findings of the report deal with the:
- significance of climate change as the most serious underlying driver of overall change in biodiversity
- necessity of taking an ecosystem-based approach to management
- importance of mainstreaming biodiversity by making it integral to other policy fields, for example, in development, plans and operations.
Read more about the key findings
The Nordic Council of Ministers' Arctic Co-operation Programme has for many years been an important contributor to the knowledge generation in relation to development issues in the Arctic. Nordic funding through the Arctic Co-operation Programme has also contributed to the making of the report.
Read more about the main findings and download the report Arctic Biodiversity Assessment on the website www.arcticbiodiversity.is