Nagoya, 27 October 2010
- The Arctic is experiencing some of the
most rapid environmental changes on the
planet. Whilst this presents enormous challenges
for conserving biodiversity,
it also offers opportunities for enhancing
cooperation between nations and reforming
environmental governance to meet the challenges
of the 21st Century, according to a new
report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Arctic contribution
to global biodiversity is significant. Hundreds
of migrating species (including 279 species
of birds and the grey and humpback whales)
travel long distances each year in order
to take advantage of productive Arctic summers.
However, evidence of
warming in the Arctic is mounting year on
year - with serious consequences for biodiversity.
This year is no exception. One well-publicised
impact of warming is the loss of habitat
for species dependent on sea ice, such as
polar bears.
But this is only one
change. Across the Arctic, many habitats
that are considered critical for biodiversity,
such as the tundra, have been disappearing
over the last few decades.
Launched to coincide
with the 10th Meeting of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity in
Nagoya, Japan, the report, entitled Protecting
Arctic Biodiversity: Strengths and limitations
of environmental agreements, was researched
by UNEP's Polar Centre GRID-Arendal in Norway.
The report underlines that although tried
and tested solutions to the current biodiversity
crisis in the Arctic exist in the region
itself, important conservation gains will
only be won if root causes originating outside
the Arctic region are addressed.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director, said:
"We are currently witnessing unprecedented
change in the Arctic, which will have important
and far-reaching consequences not only for
the region itself, but for the rest of the
world."
The rapid changes in
the Arctic are perhaps the most striking
example of how interconnected our world
is, and how policies in one part of the
world can severely affect the environment,
biodiversity and livelihoods in another.
The report finds that
existing multilateral environmental agreements
that include the Arctic region, such as
the Kyoto Protocol or the Basel Convention
on transboundary wastes, might be effective
against threats caused by local, national,
or regional activities (mining and oil and
gas exploitation, for example) if adequately
implemented.
This is because the
fundamental threats to Arctic biodiversity,
such as climate change, transboundary contaminants
and habitat fragmentation are essentially
global in nature. Tackling these threats
will require identifying international agreements
that are relevant to biodiversity, but in
new, unconventional ways.
The report stresses
that more global, cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary
thinking by policy-makers, scientists and
other stakeholders will be necessary to
deal with increasing pressures on Arctic
biodiversity.
Peter Prokosch, Managing
Director of UNEP/GRID-Arendal in Norway,
said: "Much could be gained by specifically
targeting conservation efforts on selected
Arctic migratory bird species. These species
spend the winter in habitats outside the
Arctic and, as a result, are severely impacted
by the loss of harvest and habitat loss
far beyond the polar regions."
The report recommends
that the Arctic Council could play a more
active role in supporting the development
of specific conservation efforts and further
collaboration with non-Arctic states that
share responsibility for migratory Arctic
wildlife. Established in 1996, the Arctic
Council brings together governments and
indigenous communities to address sustainable
development issues in the region.
Given the importance
of engaging non-Arctic countries and organizations
in the protection of Arctic biodiversity,
the report urges all stakeholders to identify
and communicate the global impacts of climate
change and biodiversity loss in the Arctic,
and the relevance of the Arctic to environmental
and economic thinking.
Lawrence Hislop, Head
of the Polar Programme at UNEP/GRID-Arendal,
said: "The report highlights the clear
implications of how human activities around
the world have a dramatic impact on the
rapid change we currently see in the Arctic.
The region acts as a mirror of our actions".
The report recommends
strengthening existing mechanisms for the
protection and conservation of biodiversity.
It shows that there is a wealth of options,
but that a lack of implementation of existing
agreements is a prevalent problem.
The harmonisation of
national reporting between the Arctic nations
on issues of common concern is one such
option. This would allow for more effective
national reporting to multilateral environmental
agreements.
Protected areas - such
as national parks or marine reserves - are
one of the most effective tools for managing
Arctic resources. While increased action
outside the Arctic is urgently required,
the report urges Arctic nations to substantially
increase the extent of protected areas,
especially in coastal zones and in the marine
environment.
The series of case studies
and stakeholder contributions in the report
highlight the importance of engaging local
communities and Indigenous Peoples in ensuring
the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity
within the Arctic.
The report urges Arctic
nations to invest in co-management regimes
and programmes of adaptation for societies
in the Arctic, drawing on their traditional
knowledge.
Kathrine Ivsett Johnsen,
lead editor of the report at UNEP/GRID-Arendal,
said: "Arctic species can hold different
economic, social and spiritual values for
different people. Conflicts can arise when
values clash, such as we describe in the
case studies on seals and wolverines. The
challenge is to reconcile conservation with
the sustainable use of living resources".
Finally, it is hoped
the Arctic Council will work towards an
even more progressive role in ensuring the
protection and sustainable use of the living
natural resources in the Arctic.
Recommendations:
The report identifies
four major areas where Arctic states must
strengthen further their funding, ambitions
and activities, addressing both Arctic and
global issues that influence the future
sustainable management and development in
the Arctic:
1. The Arctic region
should strengthen investments in co-management
and in supporting programmes of adaptation.
However, a coordinated global approach is
needed with actions required at all levels.
2. Arctic nations need
to substantially increase the extent of
protected areas, especially in the coastal
zone as well as the marine environment.
3. Arctic states should
increase the monitoring of Arctic biodiversity
and further promote cooperation with non-Arctic
states that share responsibility for Arctic
migratory wildlife.
4. The Arctic Council
should work towards an even more progressive
role in ensuring the protection and sustainable
use of the living natural resources in the
Arctic, similar to its efforts in combating
long-range transboundary pollutants.
Notes to Editors
The full report, Protecting
Arctic Biodiversity: Limitations and strengths
of environmental agreements, can be downloaded
from www.grida.no/publications/arctic-biodiversity
The report includes
high- and low-resolution graphics for free
use in publications. Credits and sources
for the photographs can be found at the
back of the report.
+ More
UN and European Union
unite to help reduce conflict over natural
resources
Brussels, 25 October
2010 - UNEP research shows that 40 percent
of the world's internal conflicts are linked
to the exploitation of natural resources.
Furthermore, conflicts involving natural
resources have been found to be twice as
likely to relapse.
Now a new training programme
from the UN and the European Union (EU)
will aim to support war-torn and vulnerable
countries to prevent conflict and build
peace through improved management of natural
resources like timber, minerals, fertile
land and water.
The programme is geared towards national
and local governments, as well as UN and
EU field staff.
Launched this week in
Brussels, the training materials include
a series of guidance notes, manuals and
an online learning tool covering four themes:
land, extractive industries, environmental
scarcity, and capacity development for managing
land and natural resources.
The partnership is one
of the outcomes catalysed by UNEP's 2009
report From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The
Role of Natural Resources and the Environment,
which called for the links between conflict
and the environment to be addressed in a
more coherent and systematic way by the
UN, member states, peacekeeping forces and
relief agencies.
In the coming year,
the training programme will be rolled out
in four pilot countries - Timor Leste, Liberia,
Peru and Guinea.
The programme was developed
over two years by the EU and a consortium
of six UN agencies: UN Environment Programme
(UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP),
UN HABITAT, the Department for Political
Affairs (DPA), the Department for Economic
and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Peacebuilding
Support Office (PBSO).
Speaking at the launch
in Brussels, Mr. Jordan Ryan, Assistant
Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's
Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery,
said: "We all need to tackle this issue
as a priority before natural resource disputes
blow up and prevent populations from accessing
the peace they deserve".
"As the global
population continues to rise, and the demand
for resources continues to grow, there is
significant potential for conflicts over
natural resources to intensify in the coming
decades," Christophe Bouvier, UNEP's
Regional Director for Europe warned the
gathering.
Recognising the importance
of these linkages, Mr. Richard Wright, Director
of the EC's Crisis Platform, also pointed
out that: "Well managed resources can
play a clear role in post-conflict peacebuilding".
