Biodiversity objectives: how do we make them integral to development operations in the Arctic?

Date/time: December 3, 15:00-16:30

Room: San Siro 2

Session organizers: Marthe Haugan, Norwegian Environment Agency and Trish Hayes, Environment Canada

The goal of this session is to produce a set of actions required to assist industry in successfully integrating biodiversity objectives into their development plans and operations in the Arctic.

The Action for Biodiversity: Implementing the recommendations of the ABA 2013-2021 describes the main actions necessary to achieve the 17 recommendations set out in the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment: Report for Policy Makers. Each recommendation has its challenges, however the actions required to address some are more evident than for others. For example, the concept of “mainstreaming” biodiversity is becoming more and more accepted; however, expertise on how to do this effectively is still evolving. There is a tendency to create guidelines, best practices or standards but do they result in biodiversity becoming an integral component of development plans and operations? What does industry need to achieve this? How can CAFF help? 

This session will focus specifically on how to achieve a component of Recommendation #4 of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment – incorporating biodiversity objectives into plans and operations for development in the Arctic. It will commence with a series of short presentations (~8 minutes each) provoking participants to think about the operationalisation of biodiversity objectives: what are the challenges and what do they need to be successful. This will be followed by a facilitated discussion that will build on the presentations and the draft actions currently in the Action for Biodiversity: Implementing the recommendations of the ABA 2013-2021. 

Session theme: Mainstreaming biodiversity: linking Arctic ecosystems to society