Report of the PAME (Joint EA-EG) / ICES Workshop on the development of guidelines for Ecosystem Approach to management (EAM) in the Arctic (WKEAMA)

The Arctic Council ministers in the Fairbanks Declaration from 11 May 2017, reaffirmed the need for an ecosystem approach to management in the Arctic, and encouraged future efforts to develop practical guidelines for implementing an ecosystem approach.

The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) working group of the Arctic Council has Ecosystem Approach (EA) as an item on its work program. PAME establishedan EA expert group (EA-EG) in 2007 that was broadened in 2011 as a joint group with participation also of other Arctic Council working groups (AMAP, CAFF, and SDWG). The EA-EG has convened five EA workshops in 2011−2015, and a first internationa lEA conference in August 2016 (in Fairbanks, Alaska).

PAME has on the 2017−2019 work plan to prepare guidelines for EA implementationin Arctic marine ecosystems. The 6th EA workshop is a first step in the work of developing EA guidelines. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) is a core component of implementing the EA, and it was included as an additional (although related) item for the workshop. The International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) agreed to co-sponsor the workshop as a joint activity with PAME through the EA-EG.