Resource Number: 14594
Title: Arctic Invasive Alien Species Strategic and Action Plan 2017
Publisher: Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna
Description: Arctic biodiversity is an irreplaceable cultural, aesthetic, scientific, ecological, economic, and spiritual asset. The envisioned goal of the Arctic as ecologically, culturally, and economically sustainable necessitates a focus on the factors that threaten the region’s environment and human health. Invasive alien species represent a significant and rapidly emerging threat to Arctic ecosystems and inhabitants who depend upon these ecosystems for their livelihoods and well-being. At least three
factors account for the Arctic’s particular vulnerability to biological invasion: relatively low diversity of native species; warming climatic patterns; and increasing human activity in the region.
Invasive alien species enter and spread throughout the Arctic through “pathways.” Pathways of particular concern in the Arctic include: shipping (ballast water, hull biofouling); horticulture; large-scale tree planting for aesthetics, fuel, windbreaks, and carbon sequestration; transport of material and equipment for energy development; mineral exploration; settlement expansion; (e.g. ports; roads; pipelines; aquaculture; and tourism, including hunting and fishing (e.g., through contaminated
boats, equipment or gear). Examples of other pathways of invasion into Arctic ecosystems include: recreational boating and marine debris; translocated piers, docks, and pilings; and the release or escape of live animals.
Although changing climatic conditions and a growing interest in resource extraction, settlement, and tourism are making the Arctic region particularly vulnerable to biological invasion, there is an immediate opportunity—already largely lost in many other regions of the world—to proactively build resilience to the risks posed by invasive alien species to the Arctic’s unique ecological, social, and economic systems. The Arctic Invasive Alien Species (ARIAS) Strategy and Action Plan sets forth the
priority actions that the Arctic Council and its partners are encouraged to take to protect the Arctic region from a significant threat: the adverse impacts of invasive alien species. These priority actions span terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. The actions take environmental, cultural, and economic perspectives into consideration, including drivers, impacts, and response measures.
Last Updated: June 20, 2019
Contributors:
Domain(s)/Area(S):
- Pathways