The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) and Protection of the Arctic Marine Environments (PAME) working groups of the Arctic Council developed this indicator report. It provides an overview of the status and trends of protected areas in the Arctic. The data used represents the results of the 2016 update to the Protected Areas Database submitted by each of the Arctic Council member states (Annex 1). This report uses the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) definition for protected areas (see Box 1) which includes a wide range of Management Categories – from strict nature reserve to protection with sustainable use. Consequently, the level of protection and governance of these areas varies throughout the circumpolar region and its countries.

Within the CAFF boundary there are 92 protected areas recognised under global international conventions. These include 12 World Heritage sites3 (three of which have a marine component) and 80 Ramsar sites, which together cover 0.9% (289,931 km2) of the CAFF area (Fig. 4). Between 1985 and 2015, the total area covered by Ramsar sites4 almost doubled, while the total area designated as World Heritage sites increased by about 50% in the same time period (Fig. 5). ARCTIC PROTECTED AREAS - INDICATOR REPORT 2017

Appendix 9.3 Borderline vascular plant species (“b”) with indication of PAF code number, reaching the southernmost part of the Arctic subzone E. Arctic floristic provinces, subzones (A-E), neighbouring boreal or boreo-alpine zone (N) derived from Elven (2007).

Appendix 17.2. Cryptic speciation in selected Arctic terrestrial and marine species.

Appendix 17.3. Phylogeographic and population genetics studies of selected Arctic species.

Spider species-level data collected from pan traps across four habitat types in Cambrige Bay Nunavut. Two wet habitat types and two dry habitat types were examined. Samples continuously taken from July 3rd to August 11th 2014, but broken down into sampling periods which are, on average, 6 days long.

Appendix 6.1.1. Freshwater and diadromous fish species by area of occurrence within the High Arctic, Low Arctic and sub-Arctic. Appendix 6.1.2. Freshwater and diadromous fishes of the Palearctic and Nearctic regions. Appendix 6.1.3. Occurrence of freshwater and diadromous fishes in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of the seven geographical regions referred to in the main text. Appendix 6.1.4. Freshwater and diadromous fish species status summary for species assessed at some level of risk by country or region

Distribution by broad geographic region and low or high arctic zones.

Marine fishes in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas (AOAS).