The Arctic Species Trend Index is the latest headline indicator by the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program. Arctic Portal talked to the chair if CBMP, Mike Gill, about ASTI and the latest key findings just released.
ASTI tracks trends in over 300 Arctic vertebrate species and they are presented in the reports, available on the ASTI website.
Mike presented the key findings report in Montreal at the IPY 2012 conference.
Click the video below to see the interview.
Sources
IPY Interview
A new assessment of the Arctic’s biodiversity reports a 26% decline in species populations in the High Arctic. The ASTI includes almost 1,000 datasets on Arctic species population trends, including representation from 35% of all known vertebrate species found in the Arctic.
Populations of Lemmings, Caribou and Red Knot are some of the species that have experienced declines over the past 34 years, according to the first report from the Arctic Species Trend Index (ASTI), which provides crucial information on how the Arctic’s ecosystems and wildlife are responding to environmental change.
While some of these declines may be part of a natural cycle, there is concern that pressures such as climate change may be exacerbating natural cyclic declines.
In contrast, population levels of species living in the Sub Arctic and Low Arctic are relatively stable and in some cases, increasing. Populations of marine mammals, including Bowhead Whales found in the Low Arctic, may have benefitted from the recent tightening of hunting laws. Some fish species have also experienced population increases in response to rising sea temperatures.
“Rapid changes to the Arctic’s ecosystems will have consequences for the Arctic that will be felt globally. The Arctic is host to abundant and diverse wildlife populations, many of which migrate annually from all regions of the globe. This region acts as a critical component in the Earth’s physical, chemical, and biological regulatory system,” says lead-author Louise McRae from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Data collected on migratory Arctic shorebirds show that their numbers have also decreased. Further research is now needed to determine whether this is the result of changes in the Arctic or at other stopover sites on their migration routes.
Louise McRae adds: “Migratory Arctic species such as Brent Goose, Dunlin and Turnstone are regular visitors to the UK’s shores. We need to sit up and take notice of what’s happening in other parts of the world if we want to continue to experience a diversity of wildlife on our own doorstep.”
Co-author Christoph Zöckler from the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre says: “The establishment of these results comes at a crucial time for finding accurate indicators to monitor global biodiversity as governments strive to meet their targets of reducing biodiversity loss.”
The Arctic Species Trend Index was commissioned by the Arctic Council’s CAFF Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program. The development of the index was a collaboration between the CBMP, the Zoological Society of London, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Worldwide Fund for Nature. Further information is available from: www.asti.is.
Arctic Species Trend Index (ASTI) is a biodiversity project commissioned and coordinated by the Arctic Council’s CAFF working group’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program. The ASTI keeps track how the Arctic’s ecosystems and the living resources dependent upon the ecosystems are responding to the environmental change taking place in the Arctic today. The Index, which was developed as a collaboration between the CBMP, the Zoological Society of London, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Worldwide Fund for Nature, uses population monitoring data to track trends in marine, terrestrial and freshwater Arctic vertebrate species. The index allows for a composite measure of the overall population trends of Arctic vertebrate populations. It can also be organized to display trends based on taxonomy, biome or region. Currently, the Index tracks almost 1000 Arctic vertebrate population data-sets by biome, taxa, migratory status etc. making it very important information source on Arctic biodiversity trends.
The ASTI has now released a new assessment on the Arctic’s biodiversity “Tracking Trends in Arctic Wildlife” according to which 26 per cent decline in species populations has occured in the high Arctic over the past 34 years. While some of these declines may be part of a natural cycle, there is concern that pressures such as climate change may be exacerbating natural cyclic declines.
In contrast, population levels of species living in the sub-Arctic and low Arctic are relatively stable and in some cases, increasing. Populations of marine mammals, including bowhead whales found in the low Arctic, may have benefited from the recent tightening of hunting laws. Some fish species have also experienced population increases in response to rising sea temperatures.
Because of the important role the Arctic ecosystem plays in the global ecology the results presented in the ASTI report are highly important for non-Arctic researchers as well. “Rapid changes to the Arctic’s ecosystems will have consequences for the Arctic that will be felt globally. The Arctic is host to abundant and diverse wildlife populations, many of which migrate annually from all regions of the globe. This region acts as a critical component in the Earth’s physical, chemical, and biological regulatory system,” says lead-author Louise McRae from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Further information on the project and the “Tracking Trends in Arctic Wildlife” report can be found on the ASTI homepage.
For other complementary information, please see:
The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP)
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)