Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014

On Thursday, the final day of the Congress, participants gathered in roundtable discussions in the morning, parallel sessions throughout the day, a panel plenary discussion in the afternoon, and a closing session.

In the morning roundtables, participants were asked to propose specific “innovative and effective policies” for the conservation and sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity, and strategies for implementation, building on Wednesday’s roundtables on ABA recommendations and biodiversity mainstreaming. Participants proposed, among other ideas: expanding and improving the participation of local and indigenous peoples for true co-management; maximizing the educational benefits that tourism could provide; building on existing regional policies as a foundation for implementation of ABA recommendations; and monitoring both progress and effective practice, to learn from good examples.

Parallel sessions were held throughout the day, addressing topics including: the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI); cumulative impacts and managing change in Arctic fisheries; coastal and terrestrial activities of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme; the role of wildlife harvest in Arctic biodiversity conservation; and the impact of changing climate conditions on water-related Arctic ecosystems.

In the afternoon, participants reconvened in plenary for a panel discussion on “international cooperation and global conventions: addressing Arctic biodiversity,” with speakers from the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, UNEP, the Ramsar Convention, the Saami Council, AEWA, DIVERSITAS and the CBD.

In the closing session, Henry Huntington, The Pew Charitable Trusts, shared with the audience his own poem, which started with the following lines: “Arctic life, so diverse!/If lost, there’s no reverse/We came to Trondheim to converse–/ And now we must act.” In a brief closing address, Congress Co-Chair Risa Smith stressed that “the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment is barely the start. It cannot end there." She encouraged continued engagement of all stakeholders in CAFF and Arctic Council activities, and closed the Congress at 6pm.

Please return to this site on Saturday, 6 December for the IISD RS summary report of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2014.