Arctic Marine Areas of Heightened Ecological and Cultural Significance: Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) IIC (CAFF, AMAP, SDWG)
Geographical coverage
| Geographical scale of the assessment | Regional |
|---|---|
| Country or countries covered | Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Russia, Iceland, Norway, United States, Finland, Faroe Islands, Sweden |
| Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name |
Geographical scale of the assessment
Regional
Country or countries covered
Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Russia, Iceland, Norway, United States, Finland, Faroe Islands, Sweden
Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name
Conceptual framework, methodology and scope
Assessment objectives
CAFF, in partnership with the AMAP and SDWG working groups of the Arctic Council has released the AMSA IIC report on the Identification of Arctic marine areas of heightened ecological and cultural significance.The overall objective is to identify the ecologically and culturally significant marine areas that are vulnerable to marine vessel activities in the Arctic in light of changing climate conditions and increasing multiple marine uses.
Specific objectives include:
- Compile existing information and identify Arctic areas of heightened ecological and cultural significance
- Overlap these areas with existing information on Arctic marine vessel activity and - prognosis for future development due to climate change and consider their vulnerability in relation to vessel activity
- Report the findings to the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council
Mandate for the assessment
The Arctic Council Working Groups (CAFF, AMAP, SDWG) conucted the assessment in response to recommendation II(C) from the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA), which deals with Marine Areas of Heightened Ecological and Cultural Significance.
Conceptual framework and/or methodology used for the assessment
URL or copy of conceptual framework developed or adapted
http://www.caff.is/marine-sensitive-areas
System(s) assessed
- Marine
- Urban
Species groups assessed
Ecosystem services/functions assessed
Provisioning
Regulating
Supporting Services/Functions
Cultural Services
Scope of assessment includes
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
Timing of the assessment
Year assessment started
2012
Year assessment finished
2013
If ongoing, year assessment is anticipated to finish
Periodicity of assessment
One off
Assessment outputs
Website(s)
Report(s)
Communication materials (e.g. brochure, presentations, posters, audio-visual media)
Journal publications
Training materials
Other documents/outputs
Tools and processes
Tools and approaches used in the assessment
- Geospatial analysis
Process used for stakeholder engagement in the assessment process and which component
Via the 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 to the Arctic Council) and a range of Arctic Council observers
Key stakeholder groups engaged
Policy-makers, government officials, indigenous peoples, and civil society representatives
The number of people directly involved in the assessment process
Incorporation of scientific and other types of knowledge
- Scientific information only
- 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
Data
Accessibility of data used in assessment
All the data from the report is available on the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service: www.abds.is
Policy impact
Impacts the assessment has had on policy and/or decision making, as evidenced through policy references and actions
Report was submitted as material for use in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) process to identify Ecologically, Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Arctic
Independent or other review on policy impact of the assessment
No
Lessons learnt for future assessments from these reviews
Capacity building
Capacity building needs identified during the assessment
Actions taken by the assessment to build capacity
Network and sharing experiences, Sharing of data/repatriation of data, Communication and awareness raising
