loss of biodiversity

What does biodiversity mean? 
 Biodiversity is declining 
 Humans leave their mark
Literature

What is biodiversity in the Arctic?
Bioclimatic subzones, boreal forests and forest tundra

Nature loss in the Arctic

Why is it important to preserve Arctic biodiversity?

Climate change and human activities threaten biodiversity in the Arctic. The warming climate makes the living conditions tough for species adapted to cold and more suitable for southern species (CAFF 2019). Arctic nature has to give way to industry, agriculture, infrastructure, logging and invasive species, and pollution such as microplastics has spread all the way to watercourses and seabed (CAFF 2013;Finnish Environment Institute SYKE 2020.)

Increasing offshore activities such as oil drilling, deep-sea excavation, commercial fishing, shipping, pollution and noise can significantly disrupt marine mammalian populations and the already complex socio-ecological relations in the Arctic (CAFF 2017).

It is predicted that as temperatures rise, the tundra in the Arctic will decrease significantly in the current century (CAFF 2013). ). In Finland, it is estimated that, due to climate change, the living conditions of northern fell species in particular will deteriorate. Many species, such as the Siberian tit, shore lark and long-tailed duck have already declined and many butterfly species in northern forests and fells have decreased.

Drastic changes in the Arctic will expose its biota to invasive alien species. The invasive species threaten biodiversity, although the introduction of new species could be thought to increase biodiversity. In the Arctic, native species are forced to give way to new species both on land and in water. However, the possibilities for finding new living space are limited. Eventually, the species will reach the Arctic Ocean and land species will no longer be able to move further north (CAFF 2021).

Arctic ecosystems are changing, diminishing, and potentially disappearing. Changes in snow cover alone threaten Arctic biodiversity. For example, plant species growing on the fells often depend on late melting snow that provides protection from winter and from the invasion of alien species from the south. In the future, the snow situation will change, and the snow banks will no longer provide the same protection: to northern species this may be a more immediate threat than the temperature increase in itself (Finnish Environment Institute SYKE 2018.)

Icebreaker. Photo: Veli Kouri

Photo in the top banner: Arto Vitikka

Field in Norrbotten, Sweden. Photo: Arto Vitikka