Measuring current and future impacts of a changing Arctic on biodiversity: a pan-Arctic perspective

Date/time: December 3, 10:30-12:00

Room: San Siro 2

Session organizer: Louise McRae, Zoological Society of London

This session sets out to examine current and future trends in Arctic biodiversity. We will reveal species trends at a pan-Arctic scale and discuss how this approach can be used as a tool to inform policy. There will also be a focus on how a changing climate is causing observable and predicted changes in distribution and demography of species. Finally we hear about the lines of evidence for ongoing changes in Arctic vegetation, stemming from both ground observations and satellite data. These findings are then built-on with statistical models to predict ecological changes under future climates and how the Arctic tundra in turn influences the global climate system.  

• Stefanie Deinet, Zoological Society of London: Flyway trends in Arctic migratory birds: a global concern
• Don Reid, Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada: Arctic mammal distribution and abundance: present patterns and emerging futures?
• Niels Martin Schmidt, Aarhus University: Collapsing lemming cycles in Greenland- demographic consequences for lemming predators and its linkages to snow
• Pieter S.A. Beck, European Commission, Joint Research Centre:  Widespread shifts in Arctic tundra vegetation – evidence, projections, and climate implications

Session theme: Arctic change, resilience and adaption