Harmonizing circumpolar monitoring of Arctic fox: benefits, opportunities, challenges and recommendations

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Berteaux, Dominique, Thierry, Anne-Mathilde, Alisauskas, Ray, Angerbjörn, Anders, Buchel, Eric, Doronina, Liliya, Ehrich, Dorothee, Eide, Nina, Erlandsson, Rasmus, Flagstad, Oystein, Fuglei, Eva, Gilg, Olivier, Goltsman, Mikhail, Henttonen, Heikki, Ims, Rolf, Killengreen, Siw, Kondratyev, Alexander, Kruchenkova, Elena, Kruckenberg, Helmut, Kulikova, Olga, Landa, Arild, Lang, Johannes, Menyushina, Irina, Mikhnevich, Julia, Niemimaa, Jukka, Noren, Karin, Ollila, Tuomo, Ovsyanikov, Nikita, Pokrovskaya, Liya, Pokrovsky, Ivan, Rodnikova, Anna, Roth, James, Sabard, Brigitte, Samelius, Gustaf, Schmidt, Niels, Sittler, Benoit, Sokolov, Aleksandr, Sokolova, Natalya, Stickney, Alice, Unnsteinsdottir, Ester Rut, White, Paula
• Other Authors: Universite du Quebec a Rimouski, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Environment Canada. Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre, Stockholm University, Arctic Ecology Research Group, University of Munster, Lomonosov Moscow State University, The Arctic University of Tromso, Norwegian Polar Research Institute, Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comte, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Waterbird & Wetlands Research, Institute of Plant & Animal Ecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Metsähallitus, Max Planck Society, University of Manitoba, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, University of Freiburg, Arctic Research Center of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Islandic Institute of Natural History, University of California Los Angeles, Luke / Luonnonvarat ja biotuotanto / Ekosysteemit ja ekologia / Metsä- ja eläinekologia (4100100316), 4100100316
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: arktinen alue; naali; biodiversiteetti; Arctic region; biodiversity; Alopex lagopus; biodiversity assessment; biodiversity indicator; Arctic; Arctic biodiversity; Arctic Council; Arctic Fox; Arktinen alue; Polar Research; Vulpes lagopus
• Online Access: http://jukuri.luke.fi/handle/10024/540880

The biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council has developed pan-Arctic biodiversity monitoring plans to improve our ability to detect, understand and report on long-term change in Arctic biodiversity. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) was identified as a target of future monitoring because of its circumpolar distribution, ecological importance and reliance on Arctic ecosystems. We provide the first exhaustive survey of contemporary Arctic fox monitoring programmes, describing 34 projects located in eight countries. Monitored populations covered equally the four climate zones of the species' distribution, and there were large differences between populations in long-term trends, multi-annual fluctuations, diet composition, degree of competition with red fox and human interferences. Den density, number of active dens, number of breeding dens and litter size were assessed in almost all populations, while projects varied greatly with respect to monitoring of other variables indicative of population status, ecosystem state or ecosystem function. We review the benefits, opportunities and challenges to increased integration of monitoring projects. We argue that better harmonizing protocols of data collection and data management would allow new questions to be addressed while adding tremendous value to individual projects. However, despite many opportunities, challenges remain. We offer six recommendations that represent decisive progress toward a better integration of Arctic fox monitoring projects. Further, our work serves as a template that can be used to integrate monitoring efforts of other species, thereby providing a key step for future assessments of global biodiversity. 2017