Introducing thresholds to Arctic Ocean governance for biodiversity conservation

Given the continued declined of marine biodiversity across the globe,
which is linked to overexploitation, pollution and climate change
impacts exacerbated through anthropogenic activities, the current
ocean governance and management system needs to be reconsid-
ered. This assumption also stands firm in view of the inherent and
natural characteristics of marine ecosystems, such as their dynamism,
fluidity, and non-linearity, which largely lack consideration. This paper
introduces the concept of thresholds as triggers for automatic (interim)
conservation and provides considerations on their potential to
advance conservation efforts for biodiversity in view of contemporary
challenges emerging from the ocean governance system. While the
insufficiency of conservation efforts spans across the entire marine
space, some regions are particularly vulnerable to pressures and
impacts from climate change and marine activities. This includes the
Arctic marine region. As the protection of areas beyond national
jurisdiction (ABNJ) through marine protected areas (MPAs) is lagging
far behind other marine regions, the Central Arctic Ocean high seas
portion has been selected as the main focus of the research. The paper
provides an overview of the applicable legal framework in ABNJ for
biodiversity conservation. It highlights its challenges and elaborates on
the concept of thresholds in environmental management, as well as
existing examples. This illustrates the linkage between conservation
efforts and marine management, as well as their incorporation in the
legal framework. As a result, this contribution aims at demonstrating
the relevance of thresholds to enhance ocean governance approaches
and offers a way forward towards effective and adequate conservation
management in times of climate change.