Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 Preliminary Program
Plenary program subject to change. Rooms have yet to be assigned.
Six main themes guide the flow and organization of the Congress. These overarching themes will run concurrently throughout the Congress and will form the backbone for the Congress. These themes were identified in the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment recommendations for policy.
Film night
Public film screening at Polarium Hall in the Arktikum Science Centre and Museum (Pohjoisranta 4, Rovaniemi)
Limited seating. A ticket is required for this event. Please request ticket at the registration desk. First come first served.
Cafe will be open to purchase light refreshments.
Our Shared Heritage: Arctic Breeding Birds in the Yellow Sea
Duration: 10 minutes
CAFF and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have developed a short film that features the work of the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative to highlight the plight of Arctic-breeding migratory birds in the East Asian Australasian Flyway, and the international cooperation to reverse declining trends.
Eatnanvuloš lotit – Maan sisällä linnut – Birds in the Earth
Duration: 11 minutes
Marja Helander's short film, based on dance, tells its story through the performance by two young Sámi ballet students. It’s about the nature in Sápmi, the youth and the dance. It also looks at deeper questions about the ownership of Sámi land and the Sámi’s right in today’s Finland, where the contradiction between nature and the modern lifestyle is blurred with humour. More information on the film here.
Angry Inuk
Duration: 1 hour 22 minutes
In her award-winning documentary, director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established perceptions of seal hunting. Armed with social media and their own sense of humour and justice, this group is bringing its own voice into the conversation and presenting themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy. More information on the film here.
Poetry lunch
Location: Tieva, Lappia Hall
Date: Thursday October 11, 2018
Time: 12:45-13:15
Dialogues of Silence: Poetry performance by Mia Rönkä
Dialogues of Silence merges poems and performative elements to ponder the relationship between man and Arctic nature and to reflect human relations through the imagery of Arctic nature. The poems have been inspired by Greenland, Spitsbergen, the Faroe Islands and Varanger in northern Norway. The performance will be given with a 50-year old Raven taxidermic specimen borrowed from the Turku University Zoological Museum.
Mia Rönkä, PhD., is a researcher, science writer and poet. Mia is Chair of the Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group under CAFF, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Turku, and an active birdwatcher and photographer. In her research, Rönkä has specialized in environmental ecology, ecosystem services and ornithology.
The texts in the performance are based on Mia first poem collection Maanalaiset linnut (Underground birds), published by Sammakko in 2016, and on her newer, unpublished material. The poem collection was nominated as a Tiiliskivi Literature Prize finalist in 2017.
The Poetics of Arctic Conservation: Poetry performance by Jamie Reaser
Jamie K. Reaser's award-winning writing explores the interface of Nature and human nature. The poems shared during this session have been inspired by the Arctic's unique voice and story. They are drawn from her six published poetry collections.
Jamie K. Reaser, PhD., is an executive, ecologist, communication psychologist, farmer, nature photographer, and poet. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the US National Invasive Species Council and Co-chair of the Arctic Invasive Alien Species (ARIAS) Strategy and Action Plan Implementation Coordinating Group (ICG).
Jamie's poetry can be found at the Talking Waters blog, Talking Waters on Facebook, and through online retailers. She is a member of the International League of Conservation Writers.
Side event schedule
To discuss participation and details of the event please email the respective contact point.
Sunday October 7 | ||||||
Title | Status | Time | Contact name | Venue placement | Room | |
AMBI Steering Group meeting | invite only | 8:30 - 12:00 | Jennifer Provencher | jennifer [AT] caff [DOT] is | Santa's Hotel Santa Claus | To be confirmed |
AMBI 2.0 planning workshop | invite only | 13:00 - 17:00 | Jennifer Provencher | jennifer [AT] caff [DOT] is | Santa's Hotel Santa Claus | To be confirmed |
Monday October 8 | ||||||
Title | Status | Time | Contact name | Venue placement | Room | |
AMBI 2.0 planning workshop | invite only | 8:30 - 17:00 | Jennifer Provencher | jennifer [AT] caff [DOT] is | Santa Claus Hotel | To be confirmed |
Meeting of the Working Group of the Northern Forum on Environmental Protection and Biodiversity | invite only | 8:00 - 18:00 | Mikhail Pogodaev | mp [DOT] northernforum [AT] gmail [DOT] com | Science Centre Pilke | Vintii |
Herbivory Network | invite only | 13:00 - 17:00 | Isabel C Barrio | icbarrio [AT] gmail [DOT] com | Arktikum House | Borealis |
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Marine Annual Face-to-face | invite only | 9:00 - 17:00 | Alain Dupuis | alain [DOT] dupuis [AT] dfo-mpo [DOT] gc [DOT] ca | Science Centre Pilke | Porstua |
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Terrestrial Annual Face-to-face | invite only | 9:00 - 17:00 | Hrefna Jóhannesdóttir | hrefna [AT] caff [DOT] is | Arktikum House | Thule |
CAFF Board | invite only | 10:00 - 15:00 | Aulikki Alanen | aulikki [DOT] alanen [AT] ym [DOT] fi | Lapin-ELY Keskus | Erottaja |
Guidelines and Tool for Arctic Marine Risk Assessment Download meeting agenda here | open register here | 12:30 - 17:00 | Trine Beate Solevaagseide | trine [DOT] solevaagseide [AT] kystverket [DOT] no | City Hall | Murmansk |
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Freshwater Annual Face-to-face | invite only | 14:00 - 17:00 | Jennifer Lento | jlento [AT] gmail [DOT] com | Lapin-ELY Keskus | Ruska |
Tuesday October 9 | ||||||
Title | Status | Time | Contact name | Venue placement | Room | |
Circumpolar Local Environmental Observer (CLEO) Network Meeting Download meeting agenda here | open no registration | 18:45 - 20:45 | Santina Gay | Gay [DOT] Santina [AT] epa [DOT] gov | City Hall | Kiiruna |
NeAT Network for Arthropods of the Tundra | invite only | 19:00 - 21:00 | Lauren Culler | lauren [DOT] e [DOT] culler [AT] dartmouth [DOT] edu | City Hall | Murmansk |
ARCMOD consortium meeting | invite only | 19:00 - 21:00 | Bruce Forbes | bruce [DOT] forbes [AT] ulapland [DOT] fi | TBC | TBC |
CBMP Co-Chairs meeting | invite only | 19:00 - 21:00 | Tom Christensen | toch [AT] bios [DOT] au [DOT] dk | Lappia Hall | Saivo |
Wednesday October 10 | ||||||
Title | Status | Time | Contact name | Venue placement | Room | |
InterAction Council: High Level Expert Group | invite only | 8:00 - 16:00 | Sara French | french [DOT] nci [AT] gmail [DOT] com | Science Centre Pilke | Porstua |
Plenary panel 2 preparation meeting | invite only | 10:00-10:30 | Martin Breum | City Hall | Murmansk | |
Round table discussion on cooperation in Bowhead whale research | invite only | 12:00 - 13:30 | Herman Sips | H [DOT] Sips [AT] icloud [DOT] com | Lappia Hall | Saivo |
Thursday October 11 | ||||||
Title | Status | Time | Contact name | Venue placement | Room | |
ARIAS Briefing and "meet and greet" | open no registration | 9:00 - 12:00 | Jamie Reaser | jamie_reaser [AT] ios [DOT] doi [DOT] gov | City Hall | Murmansk |
Interactions Working Group meeting | invite only | 13:30 - 17:00 | Olivier Gilg | olivier [DOT] gilg [AT] gmail [DOT] com | Lapin-ELY Keskus | Halti |
CAFF Wetlands Project Steering Group meeting | Invite only | 17:30-19:00 | David Schonberg-Alm | David [DOT] Schonberg-Alm [AT] naturvardsverket [DOT] se | City Hall | Kiiruna |
Research and management of changing tundra ecosystems or socio-ecological systems in Yamal | invite only | 18:00 - 21:00 | Dorothee Ehrich | dorothee [DOT] ehrich [AT] uit [DOT] no | City Hall | Murmansk |
Friday October 12 | ||||||
Title | Status | Time | Contact name | Venue placement | Room | |
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Marine Annual Face-to-face meeting | invite only | 13:00 - 17:00 | Alain Dupuis | alain [DOT] dupuis [AT] dfo-mpo [DOT] gc [DOT] ca | Lapin-ELY Keskus | Erottaja |
Coastal Expert Monitoring Group Final Review Meeting | invite only | 15:00 - 17:00 | Donald McLennan | donald [DOT] mclennan [AT] polar [DOT] gc [DOT] ca | Lapin-ELY Keskus | Halti |
AMAP/EU-PolarNet Stakeholder Workshop on Research Needs on Arctic Biology and Terrestrial Ecosystems Download meeting agenda here | open- contact to register | 8:30-13:00 | Janet Pawlak | jpawlak [AT] dahm [DOT] dk | Santa's Hotel Santa Claus | Poro, Riekko |
Locations of the side meetings venues
Anna Morottaja is an Inari Sámi musician, from Northern Finland where she lives in her childhood home near lake Muddusjärvi in which she fishes all year round. Traditional Inari Sámi music, livđe, is close to her heart and Anna is also a master of the northern Sámi joik. Livđe and joik are integral parts of her everyday life. Anna is known for the broad range of her voice and has taught livđe at kindergartens and schools.
In her performance Anna evokes the world through Inari Sámi livđe and illustrates it using the photography of Rauno Koivunen. The themes of livđe are connected to birds which provide their own tone to the seasons while the photos of Rauno describe the changing seasons in the North.
Rauno Koivunen has photographed nature in Lappi for several years especially lake Muddusjärvi during the changing seasons. Rauno comes from Ähtäri, Mid-Finland and became interested in nature when he moved to Inari in 2011. He is especially interested in capturing the tones of different seasons and in close-up photos of flora and fauna.
Inari Sámi is one of nine Sami languages and is spoken only in the Inari region, in northern Finland. Inari Sámi is spoken by 400 people and due to a successful revitalization work amongst kindergarten children and adults, is flourishing today. People are the main theme of livđe but birds, fish and other animals are also reflected. Livđe was almost lost to history due to the pressures of the modern world but was thankfully rescued through the work of artists such as Anna is becoming a part of everyday life in the Inari Sámi region.
Activity: Bird nesting boxes and insect hotels
Location: Outside Lappia Hall
Date:Tuesday October 9- Thursday October 11, 2018
Time: 12:00-15:00
Join staff from Metsähallitus, Metsähallitus Forestry Ltd and Science centre Pilke to construct bird boxes and insect hotels. Participants can take their boxes and hotels home with them, or they can donate them local schools, who will take them into the forests and monitor their use.
Chairs: Timo Tahvonen with Science centre Pilke inspirers, Metsähallitus
A bird nest is made by adding a base and a roof to a frame that has been pre-drilled from a spruce stem.
A bird nesting box can provide an essential nesting area for many bird species. While many species are able to hide their nests in dense foliage or grassy meadow areas, many others require holes for nesting. Some birds, such as woodpeckers, can excavate their own nesting cavities in dead or decaying trees. Others depend on the abandoned nesting holes or natural cavities formed from fallen branches for places to build nests. Recently, however, an increase in development and removal of damaged and dead trees has left many cavity-nesting birds with fewer natural places to raise their young.An insect hotel, also known as a bug hotel or insect house, is a manmade structure created to provide nest sites and hibernation sites for pollinating insect species. The insect hotels can come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the specific purpose or specific insect it is catered to. Most consist of several different sections that provide insects with nesting facilities – particularly during winter, offering refuge for many types of insects. The amount of pollinating insects has decreased because of the use of pesticides and diminished amount of dead wood in forests and cultural environments. This has a negative impact on the reproduction of vascular plants. The housing is made of a recycled milk carton and tubes are from the hollow stem of Angelica silvestris. For the tubes it is also possible to use stray or any hollow plant stems.
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LAVVU1: Nomadic herders lavvu dialogue
Join Arctic youth and Indigenous leaders in the lavvu as they discuss observations of change and solutions for sustainable use of Arctic resources. LEARN MORE
Chairs: Svein Mathiesen, International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry; Katherine Johnsen, GRID Arendal; Gunn-Britt Retter, Saami Council
Location: Outside Lappia Hall
Date: Thursday October 11, 2018
Time: 10:30-12:30
Activity: Bird nesting boxes and insect hotels
Join staff from Metsähallitus, Metsähallitus Forestry Ltd and Science centre Pilke to construct bird boxes and insect hotels. Participants can take their boxes and hotels home with them, or they can donate them local schools, who will take them into the forests and monitor their use. LEARN MORE.
Chairs: Timo Tahvonen with Science centre Pilke inspirers, Metsähallitus
Location: Outside Lappia Hall
Date: Tuesday October 9-Thursday October 11, 2018
Time: 12:00-15:00, while supplies last
The form and content of the Congress program is under development, with guidance from the Program Advisory Committee, but is expected to include the above elements. In order to allow for some adjustments, including further input from the Program Advisory Committee, Congress organizers reserve the right to make changes to the preliminary program. Such changes will be posted on this Congress website.