Assessment objectives

The Life Linked to Ice: a guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change details changes in marine species and human communities as Arctic sea ice disappears and making recommendations to the Arctic Council. The report: - discusses the expected reaction of species to lower occurrences of ice, - reflects on the effects low ice and its impact on species biodiversity to northern peoples, and - makes recommendations that might mitigate these changes.

Mandate for the assessment

An assessment conducted by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council and consists of National Representatives assigned by each of the eight Arctic Council Member States, representatives of Indigenous Peoples' organizations that are Permanent Participants to the Council, and Arctic Council observer countries and organizations. The CAFF Working Group operates by the Arctic Council Rules of Procedures.

CAFF serves as a vehicle to cooperate on species and habitat management and utilization, to share information on management techniques and regulatory regimes, and to facilitate more knowledgeable decision-making. It provides a mechanism to develop common responses on issues of importance for the Arctic ecosystem such as development and economic pressures, conservation opportunities and political commitments.

Conceptual framework and/or methodology used for the assessment

URL or copy of conceptual framework developed or adapted

http://www.caff.is/sea-ice-associated-biodiversity

System(s) assessed

• Marine

Species groups assessed

Sea ice associated biodiversity

Provisioning

• Water

Regulating

Supporting Services/Functions

• Habitat maintenance

Cultural Services

Drivers of change in systems and services

No

Impacts of change in services on human well-being

No

Options for responding/interventions to the trends observed

No

Explicit consideration of the role of biodiversity in the systems and services covered by the assessment

No

Year assessment started

2012

Year assessment finished

2013

If ongoing, year assessment is anticipated to finish

Periodicity of assessment

Unknown

Website(s)

http://www.caff.is/sea-ice-associated-biodiversity

Report(s)

http://www.caff.is/sea-ice-associated-biodiversity/sea-ice-publications

Communication materials (e.g. brochure, presentations, posters, audio-visual media)

Journal publications

Training materials

Other documents/outputs

Tools and approaches used in the assessment

• Modelling
• Geospatial analysis
• Indicators
• Scenarios

Process used for stakeholder engagement in the assessment process and which component

CAFF is the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council and consists of National Representatives assigned by each of the eight Arctic Council Member States, representatives of Indigenous Peoples' organizations that are Permanent Participants to the Council, and Arctic Council observer countries and organizations. The CAFF Working Group operates by the Arctic Council Rules of Procedures. All Arctic states, indigenous organisations (members of the Arctic Council) and a range of Arctic Council observers engaged in the ABA process via the CAFF working group

CAFF serves as a vehicle to cooperate on species and habitat management and utilization, to share information on management techniques and regulatory regimes, and to facilitate more knowledgeable decision-making. It provides a mechanism to develop common responses on issues of importance for the Arctic ecosystem such as development and economic pressures, conservation opportunities and political commitments.

Key stakeholder groups engaged

Policy-makers, government officials, indigenous peoples, students and industry and civil society representatives

The number of people directly involved in the assessment process

10-100

Incorporation of scientific and other types of knowledge

• Scientific information only
• Resource experts (e.g. foresters etc)
• Traditional/local knowledge

Supporting documentation for specific approaches, methodology or criteria developed and/or used to integrate knowledge systems into the assessment

Assessment reports peer reviewed

Yes

Accessibility of data used in assessment

Data from the Assessment is being made available on the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service: www.abds.is

Impacts the assessment has had on policy and/or decision making, as evidenced through policy references and actions

The Life linked to ice report was an early implementation action following up on recommendations from the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (www.arcticbiodiversity.is). Four recommendations to Arctic Council and its participants emerged from this report: 1. Facilitate a move to more flexible, adaptable wildlife and habitat management and marine spatial planning approaches that respond effectively to rapid changes in Arctic biodiversity. 2. Identify measures for detecting early warnings of biodiversity change and triggering conservation actions. 3. Make more effective use of local and traditional knowledge in Arctic Council assessments and, more broadly, in ecological management. 4. Target resource managers when communicating research, monitoring and assessment findings. CAFF has now produced the Actions for Arctic biodiversity 2013-2021 and this report to be presented to the Arctic Council Magisterial in April 2015 contains actions to guide follow-up on these reports

Independent or other review on policy impact of the assessment

No

Lessons learnt for future assessments from these reviews

Capacity building needs identified during the assessment

Actions taken by the assessment to build capacity

Network and sharing experiences, Access to funding, Sharing of data/repatriation of data, Workshops, Communication and awareness raising

How have gaps in capacity been communicated to the different stakeholders

Gaps in knowledge identified from the assessment

How gaps in knowledge have been communicated to the different stakeholders