IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and has provided a summary report from the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018.

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Aulikki Alanen, Ministry of Environment, Finland

Neville Ash, Director, UNEP-WCMC

Anna Skarin, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Mikael Kuhmonen, Sami reindeer herder

Highlights for Thursday, 11 October 2018

On Thursday, 11 October, participants of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 gathered in Rovaniemi, Finland, to attend the third day of the event. In the morning, several parallel sessions took place on, among other things, the following items:

• pan-Arctic assessments of plant diversity;
• community-based monitoring of Arctic biodiversity;
• monitoring changes in the biodiversity of Arctic coastal ecosystems;
• effects of persistent organic pollutants and mercury on Arctic wildlife;
• transboundary management of Arctic biodiversity;
• ideas from Alaskan Native women about enhanced science communication and outreach; and
• species specific conservation action.

During lunchtime, participants were invited to join a poetry session, and the afternoon featured parallel sessions on: wetlands, conservation and sustainable harvest, freshwater systems, shipping, and the involvement of youth in Arctic conservation.

The afternoon continued with a report from the Arctic Youth Summit, and a panel session featuring a discussion between Arctic Environment Ministers and other government representatives from the Arctic states.

Atle Hamar, State Secretary, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway

Martine Dubuc, Associate Deputy Minister, Environment and Climate Change, Canada

Highlights for Wednesday, 10 October 2018

On Wednesday, 10 October, participants of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 gathered in Rovaniemi, Finland, to attend the second day of the event. In the morning several parallel sessions took place on some of the following items:

• the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative;
• Arctic ocean acidification;
• making Arctic data accessible and reusable; and
• biodiversity in the high seas of the Central Arctic Ocean.

During lunch time, participants were invited to join a session titled “Beyond the Blue Planet: Frozen Worlds” hosted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Natural History Unit, which called for input from scientists, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities for preparing the new TV series on cryosphere regions.

In the afternoon, the plenary session “the Arctic in a Global Context: Biodiversity Targets, Sustainable Development Goals and a Post-2020 Agenda” underscored the transformational character of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which ensures that sustainable development is no longer a matter of only environmental ministries, pointing, inter alia, to the increased engagement of the private sector. Panellists also highlighted the need to “keep it simple” when communicating research findings.

Following this debate, the Arctic Economic Council Investments and Infrastructure Working Group hosted a session on responsible investment in the Arctic. Parallel sessions in the afternoon then addressed, among other issues:

• οil spill prevention;
• the Arctic Invasive Alien Species Plan; and
• Arctic marine protected areas.

At the end of the day, participants attended a poster session and were welcomed at the Pilke Science Center for a reception.

Martha Rojas Urrego, Secretary-General, Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)

Melanie Virtue, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS)

Sarah Conner, BBC Natural History Unit

Courtney Price, CAFF

Highlights for Tuesday, 9 October 2018

On Tuesday, 9 October, the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 opened in Rovaniemi, Finland.
Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, welcomed participants underlining the need to foster interactions between scientists and policy makers. He highlighted that the Arctic is not isolated from the rest of the globe, pointing to the region’s role as breeding ground for migratory birds. Niinistö also emphasized that climate change should not only be in the headlines when a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is published, but needs to “stay firmly on the agenda for the foreseeable future.”

In the morning, participants attended a plenary session entitled “Our knowledge, Our actions: addressing biodiversity conservation in a changing Arctic,” which highlighted the significant consequences of climate change in the Arctic region, discussed mechanisms to foster co-production between scientists and traditional knowledge holders, and emphasized the need to engage industry actors.

In the afternoon, the group of almost 500 participants divided itself among several parallel sessions discussing, inter alia:

• the impact of reduced ice cover in the Arctic marine environment;
• trends in circumpolar Arctic freshwaters;
• cultural heritage and land-use planning;
• early warning and approaches to measuring changes in biodiversity;
• reducing the effects of commercial fishing on biodiversity;
• Arctic biodiversity education and outreach;
• promoting ecosystem services of Arctic wetlands for sustainable development; and
• responsible mining.

In the evening, there was a showcase of short films such as “Our Shared Heritage: Arctic Breeding Birds in the Yellow Sea.”

Tiina Sanila-Aikio, President of the Sámi Parliament, Finland

Tom Barry, Executive Secretary, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)

Edda Johannesen, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research

Connie Lovejoy, Université Laval

Around the Venue