State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report

The State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report (START) is a synthesis of the state of knowledge about biodiversity in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, detectable changes, and important gaps in our ability to assess biodiversity across a number of Focal Ecosystem Components (FECs): vegetation, arthropods, birds and mammals. The overall goal of the START is to assess the current status and trends of terrestrial biodiversity of FECs across the Arctic on a circumpolar scale.

Vegetation	Arthropods
Birds	Mammals

The State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report provides the most comprehensive circumpolar synthesis to date about biodiversity on Arctic lands. Dozens of experts from across the Arctic produced the report under the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP), the cornerstone program of the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group.

The START builds on the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment and is an important first step towards better understanding and management of our living resources in the Arctic terrestrial environment.

The report also describes the status of terrestrial biodiversity monitoring around the Arctic, highlighting ways to improve detection and reporting on significant changes in the Arctic. The report calls for better coordination, standardization of methods, and improved use of Indigenous Knowledge, Local Knowledge, and citizen science.

The START, is a product of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) of the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group.