27 April 2011: A report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) identifies 13 of the richest and most vulnerable places in the Arctic Ocean that should be considered for protection as summer sea ice melts and industrial activity expands into newly accessible areas. Such places include the Bering Strait, Chukchi Beaufort Coast, Barents Sea Coast and Great Siberian Polynya.

The report, written by Thomas L. Laughlin and Lisa Speer, is the result of a workshop held at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, US, in November 2010. The workshop convened 34 scientists and indigenous peoples’ representatives with expertise in various aspects of Arctic marine ecosystems and species to identify biologically or ecologically significant or vulnerable habitats. The workshop participants used internationally accepted criteria developed under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The report also looks at the unique and vulnerable features of the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean, which lie outside any country’s jurisdiction, and where the environment of marine life is one of extreme cold and darkness.

According to Laughlin, the information and maps in the report will allow governments and the international community to make the right choices regarding the conservation and use of the natural resources of the Arctic. [IUCN News] [Publication: Workshop Report: IUCN/NRDC Workshop to Identify Areas of Ecological and Biological Significance or Vulnerability in the Arctic Marine Environment]