Conservation and Sustainable Use of Arctic Marine Biodiversity

Abstract

The status of the marine Arctic as ‘the last wilderness’ may be challenged in future by increased activities provided by the melting of the sea ice. The fragile ecosystems and habitats may come under threat. In this article the international law on conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity is explored where the ecosystem approach has been developed, and these legal and semi-legal norms are related to the marine Arctic. Particularly challenging is to implement the ecosystem approach within the maritime jurisdiction. Although still a wilderness, state practice indicates that implementation will not be any easier in the Arctic, and that it will not become a laboratory for new legal regimes. Most likely sectoral regulatory regimes will be extended or developed as different threats materialize. One of the main challenges will be to ensure proper coordination between these to apply the ecosystem approach. Keywords: Arctic, international environmental law, biodiversity, law of the sea Citation: Arctic Review on Law and Politics, vol. 1, 2/2010 p. 249-278. ISSN 1891-6252