Highlights and images for 10 October 2018

Finland

Summary


View of the panel during the plenary session.

On Wednesday, 10 October, participants of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 gathered in Rovaniemi, Finland, to attend the second day of the event. In the morning several parallel sessions took place on some of the following items:

  • the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative;
  • Arctic ocean acidification;
  • making Arctic data accessible and reusable; and
  • biodiversity in the high seas of the Central Arctic Ocean.

During lunch time, participants were invited to join a session titled “Beyond the Blue Planet: Frozen Worlds” hosted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Natural History Unit, which called for input from scientists, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities for preparing the new TV series on cryosphere regions. In the afternoon, the plenary session “the Arctic in a Global Context: Biodiversity Targets, Sustainable Development Goals and a Post-2020 Agenda” underscored the transformational character of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which ensures that sustainable development is no longer a matter of only environmental ministries, pointing, inter alia, to the increased engagement of the private sector. Panellists also highlighted the need to “keep it simple” when communicating research findings. Following this debate, the Arctic Economic Council Investments and Infrastructure Working Group hosted a session on responsible investment in the Arctic. Parallel sessions in the afternoon then addressed, among other issues:

  • οil spill prevention;
  • the Arctic Invasive Alien Species Plan; and
  • Arctic marine protected areas.

At the end of the day, participants attended a poster session and were welcomed at the Pilke Science Center for a reception.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and has provided a summary report from the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018.

 

Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis

For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page

Plenary Panel - the Arctic in a Global Context: Biodiversity Targets, Sustainable Development Goals and a Post-2020 Agenda
Alexander Shestakov, Secretariat, UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Martha Rojas Urrego, Secretary-General, Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)
Melanie Virtue, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS)
Martin Breum, panel moderator
Dalee Sambo Dorough, Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council
Hannele Pokka, Ministry of the Environment, Finland
Worldwide Partnerships to Conserve Migratory Birds: the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative
Anders Braa, Norwegian Environment Agency
Doug Watkins, Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative
Sergio Rejado Albaina, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
Amie Black, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Biodiversity in the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean - Advancements in Management and Improved Understanding for the Future
David VanderZwaag, Dalhousie University
Henry Huntington, Pew Charitable Trusts
Hein Rune Skjoldal, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research
Maya Gold, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Beyond the Blue Planet: Frozen Worlds, BBC Natural History Unit
Sarah Conner, BBC Natural History Unit
Courtney Price, CAFF
Arctic Marine Protected Areas: Identification, Effectiveness, Co-management and Cooperation
Tom Barry, Executive Secretary, CAFF
Irina Onufrenya, WWF Russia
Neville Ash, Director, UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Tom Christensen, Aarhus University
Kayla Hansen-Craik, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation - Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat
Boris Solovyev, Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Between Sessions
Around the Venue