Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)

Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment

A. Overview

Arctic marine and coastal ecosystems contain abundant natural resources, are largely pristine, and support a wide array of ecosystem services that are necessary to the wellbeing of people living in the Arctic and benefit all people on a global scale. The Arctic is also characterized by a harsh climate with extreme variation in light and temperature, short summers, extensive snow and ice cover in winter and large areas of permafrost. Its terrain varies from high mountains to flat plain, wide tundra and great expanses of sea, snow and ice. The plants and animals of the Arctic have adapted to these conditions, but this has rendered them in some cases more sensitive to increased human activities. The lives of indigenous and other Arctic peoples are closely linked to local resources, particularly by their dependence on wildlife harvesting. However, a combination of several factors make the Arctic and its inhabitants among the most exposed populations in the world. 

Social, environmental, and economic changes occurring in many Arctic societies are affecting the culture and ways of life of people in the Arctic, including notably, indigenous people. These changes can be expected to affect human health as well as the health of the marine environment. Arctic indigenous peoples have proven to be highly adaptable, securing their livelihood in a dynamic and challenging environment. However, the rate, magnitude and diversity of current and projected changes in the region may challenge the adaptive capacities and range of adaptive choices available to Arctic indigenous peoples and local communities.

Climate change has affected the Arctic more rapidly and fundamentally than any other region in the world, primarily as a result of activities occurring far from the Arctic region.

Increasing economic activity is another driver of change in the Arctic. Oil and gas production, mining, shipping, fishing, aquaculture and tourism is already taking place in the Arctic and can further facilitate social and economic development of the Arctic communities through increased infrastructure investment, increased tax revenues for local and state budgets and other ripple effects such as increased employment. Although increased shipping, petroleum activity and extraction of minerals represent important opportunities for the Arctic communities, this also entails environmental and social challenges that must be handled in the best possible way.

B. Introduction

PAME, one of six Arctic Council Working Groups, is the focal point of the Arctic Council’s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment and provides a unique forum for collaboration on a wide range of activities in this regard. PAME‘s activities are based on its mandate to address marine policy measures and other measures related to the conservation and sustainable use of the Arctic marine and coastal environment in response to environmental change from both land and sea-based activities, including non-emergency pollution prevention control measures such as coordinated strategic plans as well as developing programs, assessments and guidelines, all of which aim to complement or supplement efforts and existing arrangements.

PAME consists of representatives from the eight Arctic States: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States and representatives of six Indigenous Peoples organizations who have been granted Permanent Participants status in the Arctic Council. Additionally, accredited Observers from Non-Arctic States; intergovernmental and interparliamentary organizations; and non-governmental organizations contribute to the ongoing work of PAME, as relevant. The Working Group generally meets twice a year to assess progress and advance its work in addition to other meetings, workshops and intersessional work.

The Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic Indigenous Peoples and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. It was formally established in 1996.All Arctic Council decisions and statements require consensus of the eight Arctic States

C. Governance

PAME was first established under the 1991 Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and was continued by the 1996 Ottawa Charter that established the Arctic Council with a mandate to undertake a broad programme to include all dimensions of sustainable development.

D. Organizational structure and secretariat

PAME is headed by a Chair and Vice-Chair, which rotate among the Arctic States and are supported by a Secretariat based in Iceland. PAME reports to the Senior Arctic Officials (SAOs), and through them, to the Ministers of the Arctic Council who meet every two years. PAME’s work plan is approved by the SAOs and the Ministers.

E. Areas of work

PAME carries out its activities, largely within five broad themes; Arctic shipping, Marine Protected Areas, Resource Exploration and Development, Ecosystem Approach to Management and Arctic Marine pollution, including marine litter, as set out in its bi-annual work plans approved by the Arctic Council on the recommendation of the Senior Arctic Officials. The work plan is developed according to the Arctic Council’s Arctic Marine Strategic Plan 2015-2025 (AMSP) which provides a framework to guide its actions to protect Arctic marine and coastal ecosystems and to promote sustainable development,  among other considerations. The four strategic goals of the Strategic plan are:

1. Goal 1: Improve knowledge of the Arctic marine environment and continue to monitor and assess current and future impacts on Arctic marine ecosystems.

2. Goal 2: Conserve and protect ecosystem function and marine biodiversity to enhance resilience and the provision of ecosystem services.

3. Goal 3: Promote safe and sustainable use of the marine environment, taking into account cumulative environmental impacts.

4. Goal 4: Enhance the economic, social and cultural well-being of Arctic inhabitants, including Arctic indigenous peoples and strengthen their capacity to adapt to changes in the Arctic marine environment.

F. Partners

PAME has established close working relations and collaboration with other governmental and non-governmental organisations and private sectors. These include partners from all Arctic Council member States, Permament Participants, Arctic Council Observers and other affiliations. In addition, PAME has strong ties with other actors on specific projects, including The International Maritime Organization (IMO), WWF and AECO. Furthermore, PAME has established the Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum, which has over 70 participants, where Arctic Shipping stakeholders engage in a common platform. These include governments, shipping companies, marine insurers, classification societies and others.

G. Ongoing projects

PAME’s projects largely operate within the following themes:

1. Arctic Shipping
   • Arctic Shipping Status Reports (ASSR)
   • New Low Sulphur Fuels, Fate, and Behavior in Cold Water Conditions
   • Underwater Noise in the Arctic: Understanding Impacts and Defining Management Solutions - Phase II
   • Collaboration with the Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission (ARHC)
   • Systematically Strengthening Observer Engagement in PAME’s Shipping Work
   • Arctic Ship Traffic Data (ASTD) System
   • The Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum
   • Interpretation of the Polar Code
   • Wastewater Discharges from Vessels in the Arctic - A Survey of Current Practices
   • Arctic Port Reception Facilities Inventory
   • Arctic Arrangement for Regional Reception Facilities
   • Raising awareness in the Arctic Council of the provisions of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels
   • Marine Invasive Alien Species in Arctic Waters (joint PAME-CAFF Project)
2. Marine Protected Areas
   • Continue the project on Modelling Arctic Oceanographic Connectivity, with the inclusion of the Central Arctic Ocean, to further develop PAME’s Marine Protected Areas Toolbox
   • Different Ways of Knowing: Applying Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Scientific Information to Arctic Conservation Planning
   • Develop additional Information Briefs on the Arctic marine environment under change
   • Revisiting the Framework for a Pan-Arctic Network of MPAs (2015) for potential updates
   • Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM) in the Arctic Marine Environment (joint PAME-CAFF Project)
   • Expansion and refinement of the MPA-Network Toolbox
3. Resource Exploration and Development
   • Meaningful Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Marine Activities (MEMA): Outreach and Next Steps
   • Management of Arctic Marine Oil and Gas Associated Noise
   • Update the Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Regulatory Resource (AOOGRR)
   • Existing Waste Management Practices and Pollution Control for Marine and Coastal Mining
4. Ecosystem Approach to Management
   • 7th EA Workshop on values and valuation of the cultural, social and economic goods and services produced by the ecosystems
   • Third International Science and Policy Conference on Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Management in the Arctic
   • Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) of the Central Arctic Ocean (WGICA)
   • Revise the Ecosystem Approach Framework (EA) and develop a tool for following EA implementation in the Arctic LMEs
   • Report on development in defining or setting Ecological objectives
   • Synthesis Report on Ecosystem Status, Human Impact and Management Measures in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO)
   • Concept paper on further cooperation under the Arctic Council on Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM/EA) of Arctic marine ecosystems
5. Arctic Marine Pollution
   • Develop an Implementation Plan for the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter in the Arctic (ML-RAP)
   • Arctic Coastal Cleanup
   • Fishing Practice & Gear Inventory: Enhancing Understanding of Abandoned Lost or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG)
   • Marine Litter Communication and Outreach Activities

H. Key achievements

1. Adoption of Regional Action Plan for Marine Litter (RAPMaLi) in 2021.
2. PAME launched its first Arctic Shipping Status Report in 2020.
3. PAME launched a comprehensive Arctic shipping activity database in 2019. The database allows authorized users to analyze vessel traffic patterns, fuel use, and air emissions, among other economic and environmental conditions.
4. In 2019, PAME released the first capsule containing a GPS transmitter to simulate how marine litter travels across the ocean. The collected data will serve as an outreach tool to create awareness around the growing concerns on marine litter in the Arctic. 
5. PAME, aided by its Shipping Expert Group, advanced a number of projects and initiatives to promote safe and sustainable shipping in the Arctic which include: The Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum (established in 2017) which supports effective implementation of the IMO’s Polar Code, including its first two meetings and the launch of its web portal in May 2018.
6. Launch of the Meaningful Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Marine Activities (MEMA) project in 2017. It is a cross-cutting oil, gas and shipping project which will compile and analyze existing documents and summarize their main aspects, principles, and processes for engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities.
7. The Arctic Council’s Arctic Marine Strategic Plan 2015-2025 launched in 2014. It provides a framework to guide its actions to protect Arctic marine and coastal ecosystems and to promote sustainable development. The AMSP 2015-2025 was approved in April 2015 at the 9th ministerial meeting in Iqaluit, Canada.
8. PAME and CAFF have established a Joint Arctic Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan (ARIAS) Implementation Coordinating Group (ICG) and approved its Terms of Reference.
9. The Resource Exploration and Development Expert Group (REDEG) completed the Meaningful Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Marine Activities (MEMA) Part II report. The MEMA online database is accessible on the PAME homepage at: www.memadatabase.is and is publicly available as a resource for those interested in engagement of Indigenous peoples and local communities.

I. Interesting facts and figures about the Arctic

1. The Arctic is regarded as containing some of the last physically undisturbed marine spaces on earth.
2. Shipping (unique ships) within the Arctic Polar Code area has increased by 37% over 10 years from 2013-2023. A majority of these vessels are fishing vessels (41%).
3. The central feature of the Arctic is the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean has the widest continental shelf of all the oceans.
4. The Arctic sea ice has diminished from 6,1 million sq.km. in 1999 to 4,3 million sq.km. in 2019.
5. Boreal forests of the Arctic cover about 17% of the global land area, representing the largest natural forests in the world.
6. Together with the Antarctic, the Arctic contains the largest freshwater resource on Earth.
7. Seven of the world’s ten largest wilderness areas are located in the Arctic region.
8. The total catch of wild fish in the Arctic mounted to 7.26 million tonnes, or 10% of the world catch (2002 data).
9. The Arctic as an area is essentially an ocean surrounded by the land north of the Arctic circle (66032' N) that covers a region of 33 million Km2 , larger than Africa or Asia.
10. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that 30 per cent of the world’s undiscovered natural gas is in the Arctic, mostly on the continental shelves beneath the Arctic Ocean. More than 70 per cent of the undiscovered oil resources are estimated to occur in northern Alaska, the Amerasian Basin, the eastern side of Greenland, the eastern Barents Sea region, and the Davis Strait of Greenland and Canada. An estimated 84 per cent of the undiscovered oil and gas in the Arctic occurs offshore.
11. The Arctic region is characterized by some of the largest continuous intact ecosystems on the planet, but is facing increasingly larger threat

Contact us

PAME, Borgir, Nordurslod - 600 Akureyri - Iceland 

Tel: +354 461 1355

Email: pame(at)pame.is

Website - www.pame.is