| Summary: | "As the Arctic continues to experience a period of intense and accelerating change, with climate change at the forefront, it has become increasingly important to effectively and sustainably manage Arctic ecosystems. The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF – www.caff.is), Arctic Council working group, operates at the interface between science and policy and as such is positioned to develop common responses on issues of importance. In order to deliver informed policy advice to decision-makers, it is important that accurate, credible and timely information on current and predicted changes in the Arctic’s ecosystems are made available. To efficiently address this information CAFF created the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP – www.cbmp.is) which operates as an international network of scientists and local resource users working together to enhance Arctic biodiversity monitoring to improve detection, understanding, prediction and reporting of important changes facing Arctic biodiversity. The development of the CBMP can be seen as a response to a number of Arctic Council recommendations that have called for improved and better coordinated, long-term Arctic biodiversity monitoring. The development and implementation of the CBMP has been further highlighted as an Arctic Council priority in the Kiruna (2013), Tromso (2009), Salekhard (2006), Reykjavik (2004), Inari (2002), Barrow (2000) and Iqaluit (1998) Declarations. At the Arctic Environmental Ministers meeting in 2013 in Jukkasjärvi, Sweeden, the Ministers encouraged the Arctic Council to take a leading, coordinating role in the follow–up of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment and encouraged Arctic States to implement its recommendations. They also stated that a targeted effort for the conservation and sustainable management of marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats will be needed. In this context, ministers stressed the importance of implementing agreed biodiversity objectives in the Arctic, in particular the Strategic Plan for ...
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