Identifying and safeguarding important/sensitive areas

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

Room: San Siro 1

Session organizers: Tom Christensen, Aarhus University and Hans Meltofte, Aarhus University

This session will address the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment recommendations related to safeguarding important biodiversity areas. Examples will be given of existing and ongoing domestic and international processes to complete the identification of ecologically and biologically important areas and the implementation of appropriate measures for their conservation. Future challenges will be discussed.

• Tom Christensen, Aarhus University: International processes on identifying important areas and examples from Greenland
• Hans Meltofte, Aarhus University: Mapping and prioritizing of the protection of biodiversity hotspots in the Arctic
• Mette Frost, WWF Denmark: The Last Ice Area
• Henry Huntington, Pew Charitable Trusts: Marine biodiversity and conservation in the Arctic winter: the case for polynyas
• Anna Kuhmonen, Barents Protected Areas Network: Barents Protected Areas Network
• Mikhail Stishov, WWF Russia: Evolution of the Russian Arctic network of protected areas as a tool to build resilience of biodiversity to rapid Arctic change

Session theme: Arctic change, resilience and adaptation