Arctic terrestrial biodiversity status and trends: A synopsis of science supporting the CBMP State of Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report

Abstract

This review provides a synopsis of the main findings of individual papers in the special issue Terrestrial Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing Arctic. The special issue was developed to inform the State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report developed by the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), Arctic Council working group. Salient points about the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and biodiversity monitoring are organized by taxonomic groups: (1) vegetation, (2) invertebrates, (3) mammals, and (4) birds. This is followed by a discussion about commonalities across the collection of papers, for example, that heterogeneity was a predominant pattern of change particularly when assessing global trends for Arctic terrestrial biodiversity. Finally, the need for a comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based monitoring program, coupled with targeted research projects deciphering causal patterns, is discussed.

Survey of the vascular plants of Alert (Ellesmere Island, Canada), a polar desert at the northern tip of the Americas

“…For example, from south to north, 85 species were found at Alexandra Fiord (Muc et al 1989), 40 in the central part of Ellesmere Island (Lévesque 1997), 75 at Sverdrup Pass (Bergeron andSvoboda 1989), 151 at Quttinirpaaq National Park (Parks Canada 1994), and 36 at Ward Hunt Island (Vincent et al 2011). Part of the variation among surveys likely reflects the size of the surveyed area, as well as environmental conditions and landscape heterogeneity (e.g., topography, hydrology, substrate, and microclimate; Ravolainen et al 2020;Taylor et al 2020).…”

A reflection on four impactful Ambio papers: The biotic perspective

“…For example, the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) was developed by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group of the Arctic Council to develop monitoring plans and improve the collection and dissemination of monitoring data and outputs across marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and coastal ecosystems in the Arctic. A recent CBMP special issue in this journal detailed recent trends in many of these organisms (Taylor et al 2020 ).…”

“…Although numerous warming-driven changes have been documented in Arctic ecosystems, many locations demonstrate remarkable resistance to recent climatic changes (Taylor et al 2020 ). For example, while on average Arctic regions have seen an increase in shrubs (Elmendorf et al 2012b ) and “shrubification” is extremely evident in some locations (Tape et al 2012 ; Myers-Smith et al 2019 ), the majority of single-site studies documented no change in shrub abundance over time or in response to experimental warming (Bjorkman et al 2019 ).…”

How Does the Arctic Council Support Conservation of Arctic Biodiversity?

“…Arctic biodiversity is under serious threat from climate change [1] and, with temperatures increasing by more than double the global average over the last two decades [2], this is expected to drive widespread changes in its wildlife [3][4][5]. Large tracts of the Arctic, however, remain relatively undisturbed, providing a unique opportunity for proactive action that can minimize or even prevent future problems that would be costly, or impossible, to reverse [1].…”