On thin ice: 13 vulnerable Arctic areas
A new report identifies 13 vulnerable Arctic places as ice melts and industry moves in.
A report released yesterday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature idenitifies several Arctic areas that are especially vulnerable as summer ice melts and industrial activity expands into newly accessible areas.
According to a press release from NRDC, this is the first Arctic-wide identification of areas most important to Arctic marine life and vulnerable to additional stress on top of global warming, loss of sea ice and ocean acidification.
Amongst the areas NRDC believes should have special protection are the White Sea and Barents Sea coast, the Pechora Sea and Kara Gate, Novaya Zemlya and the shelf and islands in the High Arctic (Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya).
Other areas include Wrangel Island, Beaufort Coast and Disko Bay.
The areas identified in the report are particularly unique or rare, contain threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitats, are especially vulnerable, fragile, sensitive, or slow to recover, or meet other internationally recognized criteria.
As the Arctic warms, industrial activities such as shipping, fishing, and oil and gas exploration are expanding into ocean places that were previously inaccessible due to the year round presence of sea ice. This adds stress to a region already facing environmental pressures due to the impacts of climate change.
- The Arctic is the last ocean frontier, said Lisa Speer, Director of the International Oceans Program at the NRDC. - We have a short window of opportunity to plan for industrial development in a way that respects and protects important and fragile ocean habitats, wildlife and communities. As nations around the Arctic plan new offshore oil development, fishing and shipping, this report jumpstarts the process of identifying areas that should be considered for protection from the environmental consequences of those activities, including oil spills, pollution, and habitat degradation.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a U.S. environmental action group with 1.3 million members. Read more on the organization’s web site.
