NSF PR 01-49 - June 11, 2001
Media contact:
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Peter West
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pwest@nsf.gov
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Program contacts:
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Henry Huntington
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(907) 696-3564
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hph@alaska.net
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Lawrence M. Page
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hlane@nsf.gov
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Climate Change Affecting Even Remote Arctic Environment,
Study Says
The remoteness of one of the world's largest ecosystems
has not made it immune from global environmental problems,
according to a major new report on the state of Arctic
biodiversity, funded in part by the National Science
Foundation (NSF).
"Arctic Flora and Fauna: Status and Conservation" was
released today in Finland by the Arctic Council's
working group for the Conservation of Arctic Flora
and Fauna (CAFF). The report includes contributions
from more than 150 specialists and experts throughout
the Arctic.
"Many scientists or groups of specialists have looked
at parts of the Arctic or at different species, but
until now no one has taken a comprehensive look at
the state of the entire Arctic," said Sune Sohlberg
of Sweden, who chairs the CAFF working group. "Thanks
to this report, we now have a better idea of conservation
needs around the circumpolar region."
At the local level, the report argues, there is clear
evidence that several economically-important species
have been exploited, and habitat has been fragmented
due to development activities.
It adds that climate change is already having measurable
effects on Arctic species, permafrost, and sea ice;
alien invasive species are increasingly penetrating
the region; and contaminants released thousands of
kilometers away are appearing at high levels in human
and wildlife communities.
The report also highlights the lack of critical information
in many areas. Population figures for plants and animals
may be uncertain, and the scientific understanding
of the ways the Arctic ecosystem functions in changing
environment is incomplete. However, these population
figures provide a baseline for later research and
monitoring data.
The report was developed over a two-year period and
funded in part by a $56,000 grant from NSF's division
of environmental biology.
Based on the latest scientific information, the book-length
report provides a clear understanding of the importance
of the Earth's largest eco-region and its status in
a rapidly changing world.
Henry Huntington, the lead U.S. researcher and chief
writer on the editorial team, called it "more a starting
point than a final report."
He added, "finding and compiling data on species populations
and other basic parameters was harder than we had
expected. I hope the Arctic Council will build on
our work, both through further research that takes
a circumpolar perspective and through actions that
respond to the threats identified in the report."
Using plain language and numerous maps, diagrams and
photographs, the report is designed to be accessible
to both scientists and non-scientists. By bringing
together local and regional information, it paints
a circumpolar picture of the status and trends in
Arctic flora and fauna, including information on population
sizes and changes, and a list of globally threatened
species in the Arctic.
The report was compiled by an international editorial
team under the direction of Paula Kankaanpää of the
Finnish Ministry of Environment and the Arctic Centre
of the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi. Funding
for preparing and publishing the report came from
a variety of sources around the Arctic, including
NSF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Following presentation of the report to the Arctic
Council's senior arctic officials today, CAFF will
develop specific recommendations for action, which
are expected to be delivered to the Arctic Council's
next ministerial meeting in fall 2002. These recommendations
will likely chart the course of CAFF's work for the
next several years, and are expected to be used by
other organizations interested in Arctic conservation.
The Arctic Council is an intergovenmnetal forum that
provides a mechanism to address common concerns and
challenges faced by the Arctic governments and the
people of the Arctic. It was established in 1996 in
Ottawa, Canada.
Council members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United
States of America. The Association of Indigenous Minorities
of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian
Federation, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the
Saami Council, the Aleutian International Association,
Arctic Athabaskan Council and Gwich'in Council International
are Permanent Participants in the Council.
For more information about the Arctic Council, see:
http://www.arctic-council.org/
For more information on the Arctic Council's Program
for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, see:
http://www.grida.no/caff/
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