The Arctic needs a new marine conservation approach – here’s how

The Arctic Ocean is home to diverse marine species in unique ecosystems. These ecosystems play a key role in moderating the global climate and provide food, livelihoods and cultural identity for many people in the Arctic. But the climate crisis and growing industrial development threaten this vulnerable region as melting sea ice is transforming the Arctic Ocean. These pressures, if left unchecked, degrade nature’s critical roles of reducing the disastrous climate impacts in the Arctic and the rest of the planet and continuing to provide for the peoples of the Arctic and beyond.

As stated in the WWF 2022 Living Planet Report, “We are living through both climate and biodiversity crises. These have been described as two sides of the same coin, driven by the unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. It is clear: unless we stop treating these emergencies as two separate issues, neither problem will be addressed effectively.”

This is why this past December, the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity concluded with a sweeping agreement to halt and reverse nature loss within the next seven years. Countries agreed to preserve 30 per cent of the Earth’s land and seas by 2030 (30 by 30 target), which means the existing protected and conserved areas across the Arctic Ocean must increase about four-fold. Biodiversity loss and the climate crisis are more interlinked in the Arctic than anywhere else.

In response, WWF has developed ArcNet – a blueprint and a concrete proposal for the implementation of a network of priority areas for marine conservation that spans the entire Arctic Ocean. ArcNet supports conservation of biological diversity and ecological processes across the Arctic marine environment and can help the world meet the ambitious 30 by 30 target.

Conservation is a shared responsibility and requires unprecedented, inclusive cooperation.  A diversity of perspectives and values needs to be reflected in the network’s design and planning.  ArcNet is not a static snapshot of a network of conserved areas across the Arctic Ocean, but a transparent approach bringing actors together supported by a set of cooperative tools. It is an invitation to governments, marine stakeholders and rights holders to engage in establishing and refining the network. Only by governments taking urgent action, embracing a cooperative approach to conservation, and transferring leadership for conservation to Arctic Indigenous communities can we reach the target of conserving 30% of the Arctic before 2030.

Arctic Indigenous homelands are threatened by the climate crisis, mining and shipping

In order to meet the 30 by 30 target, governments are now called upon to act. While governments have the implementation power, Indigenous communities are also leading conservation efforts by establishing Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) and are starting to do so in the Canadian Arctic. This approach can ensure that Indigenous communities have greater influence over the future of their lands, can conserve biodiversity by protecting local habitats, improve economic well-being and food sovereignty and help countries fulfill global conservation commitments. There are great benefits locally, nationally and globally.

Taloyoak, an example of Indigenous-led conservation

In the Inuit community of Taloyoak, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, the Spence Bay Hunters and Trappers Association has a vision of establishing an Inuit Protected and Conserved Area encompassing the land and surrounding waters of Aviqtuuq, also known as the Boothia Peninsula. This area is larger than Switzerland and home to important caribou, marine mammal, and migratory bird habitats – habitats that would be at risk if the area remains open to mining claims and the associated increase in commercial shipping.

If achieved, the IPCA will protect the region from growing extractive industries that want to build roads and pipelines, explore the areas for extractive resources and increase shipping to transport the extracted materials. The IPCA will safeguard caribou calving grounds, polar bear denning areas, and summering habitat for whales like narwhal, beluga and bowhead, and ensure local leaders can manage the area according to local values. This will ensure food security for the community as well as provide the know-how on how to create the right conditions for economic development like small-scale fisheries, outfitting camps, and tourism. WWF has been supporting the Spence Bay Hunters and Trappers Association for three years and sees this initiative as one means of implementing a network of priority areas for marine conservation that spans the entire Arctic Ocean. But more needs to be done.

Sharing and building collaborations at IMPAC5

WWF Arctic Programme will be attending the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) to be held on 3-9 February 2023.  At the congress, global marine conservation managers and practitioners will exchange knowledge, experience and best practices to strengthen the conservation of marine biodiversity and to protect the natural and cultural heritage of the ocean.

WWF will hold a knowledge sharing session at the congress on 8 February, “Inclusive and Effective Ocean Management Conservation at Scale: ArcNet – an Arctic Ocean Network of Priority Areas for Conservation.” At this session, we will be inviting attendees, ranging from government representatives, marine planners, marine industries and Indigenous community leaders to discuss  what knowledge and partnerships are needed for implementing effective area-based conservation networks. We want to learn how we can connect community-led initiatives with regional, national and ocean scale network design and implementation.

From theory to practice

Climate change is the number one driver of long-term biodiversity loss in the Arctic, so action is needed on both fronts. We need to put a stop to global warming as every tenth of a degree of global warming that we can avert matters, and time is running out. The lower the emissions, the lower the risks we face.

At the same time Arctic ecosystems must be protected from harmful oil and gas exploration and other industrial pressures in order to strengthen nature’s ability to adapt to climate change and be resilient.  To do so we must protect at least 30% of the Arctic by 2030. The 30 x 30 target is ambitious, but there can be no wavering. Networks of protected priority areas for marine conservation areas are critical for securing the resilience of marine biodiversity and ecosystems in the face of a rapidly changing ocean. These ambitions can only be achieved if implementation considers the rights and needs of Arctic Indigenous Peoples and the contributions of all Arctic Ocean users.