Managing Marine Ecosystems in a Rapidly Warming Arctic

The Arctic Council, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the United Nations (UN) all acknowledge that the Arctic temperatures are rising faster than any other place on Earth.

This is changing the Arctic in visible ways and at an unprecedented speed. Consequences will be far-reaching for marine ecosystems, and the people and communities that rely on them for their livelihoods and cultures.

As the sea ice retreats and the Arctic Ocean becomes increasingly accessible, pressures from human activities are also increasing. These growing pressures increase the risks marine ecosystems and biodiversity are facing and threaten current approaches to marine management and conservation.

Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) is endorsed at the highest level, including UN bodies and states.

The Arctic Council embraces Ecosystem-Based Management of human activities in the Arctic to achieve sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services and maintenance of ecosystem integrity and is issuing guidance for its implementation that involve Indigenous peoples, local communities and industry stakeholders.

Likewise, EBM is increasingly a topic of interest in universities and academia.

What We Like to Do:

This conference will exchange current lessons and best practices for the implementation of EBM in the Arctic and examine how these practices reflects the knowledge, the goals, the advise, and the voices of the people living in and from the Arctic.

We explore pathways toward a future with a holistic perspective in managing the regions fast changing marine ecosystem. 

Who do we Invite:

Through three sessions, that encapsulate different parts of the EBM we invite:

• Keynote speakers to inspire and challenge us.
• Scientists, early career scientists, students (and youth) to present their fields of study (or questions).
• Indigenous Knowledge holders to share and provide guidance based on their cultural values, worldviews, and perspectives.
• Governing bodies to disentangle the challenges of cross-sectorial approaches and explore how they can contribute to apply holistic ecosystem knowledge to decisions, management, and operations in an evolving Arctic.

Co-conveners and Organizing Committee 

The organizing committee consists of the Arctic Council working groups PAME, AMAP, CAFF and SDWG, as well as the experts from Arctic Council member states, Permanent Participants and Observer organizations ICES and WWF.

The financial sponsor of this conference is the Norwegian Chair-ship of the Arctic Council, the Institute of Marine Research in Tromsø, Norway, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and Tromsø Municipality.

The Universities in the Arctic will support and facilitate the Conference with early career scientists and events.

Co-convened by: