Professional Documents
Culture Documents
For Us, So-Called Subsistence Activity Is Far More Than Subsistence. Hunting Is More Than Food On The Table. It Is A Fundamental Part of Who We Are.
For Us, So-Called Subsistence Activity Is Far More Than Subsistence. Hunting Is More Than Food On The Table. It Is A Fundamental Part of Who We Are.
For Us, So-Called Subsistence Activity Is Far More Than Subsistence. Hunting Is More Than Food On The Table. It Is A Fundamental Part of Who We Are.
Introduction
The Arctic plays host to a vast array of biodiversity, including many globally
significant populations [1]. Included among these are more than half of the worlds
shorebird species [2], 80% of the global goose populations [3], several million
reindeer and caribou, and many unique mammals, such as the polar bear. During
the short summer breeding season, 279 species of birds arrive from as far away as
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and South America to take advantage of the
long days and intense period of productivity. Several species of marine mammals,
including grey and humpback whales, and harp and hooded seals, also migrate
annually to the Arctic (Figure I).
In 2001, the Arctic Councils Conservation of Arctic
Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group published the
report Arctic Flora and Fauna: Status and Conservation
[7], the first truly circumpolar overview of Arctic
Figure I: Many species of wildlife, particularly species of birds and marine mammals, migrate annually to the Arctic from
all areas of the world to breed [46].
Introduction
PRESSURES
Climate change
Mineral exploration,
extraction and development
Changes in
precipitation patterns
Permafrost
thawing
Unsustainable
harvest
Oil spills
Invasive species
Loss of habitat
Changes in vegetation
I M PA C T S
Human Activities
Worldwide
In the Arctic
Decreased
snow cover
Population declines
Fragmentation of habitat
Decrease in spatial
distribution
Figure II: Arctic biodiversity is being affected by numerous local and global pressures.
Increased
vulnerability
10
Introduction
11
High Arctic
Low Arctic
Sub Arctic
Figure III: Boundaries of the geographic area covered by the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment2.