Arctic Marine Protection

THERE is no universally accepted definition of the Arctic. Depending on the discipline, boundaries may be set at the Arctic Circle (66[Symbol Not Transcribed]33'N), the 10[Symbol Not Transcribed]C July isotherm, the continuous or discontinuous permafrost line, or the continuous tree line--or according to some other criterion, such as species range. The Arctic can also be defined on the basis of political boundaries. Each of the eight Arctic countries that share the approximately 15 million km[Symbol Not Transcribed]2 Arctic marine environment uses its own description. For the purposes of this discussion, the Arctic marine environment consists of the Arctic Ocean and the seas, major bays, and straits that surround it. These are the Bering, Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, Kara, White, Barents, Greenland, Labrador, Beaufort, northern Okhotsk and Norwegian Seas; Baffin, Hudson, and James Bays; and Davis Strait. Among circumpolar nations, however, there is only one legally binding treaty, the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, under which Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States protect denning sites and regulate hunting. More informally, there are two seabird Conservation Strategies and Action Plans in place through the Arctic Council's Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group, one for murres (Uria lomvia, U. aalge) and one for eiders (Somateria mollissima, S. spectabilis, S. fischeri and Polysticta stelleri). Other important initiatives are the Regional Program of Action for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (1999) and Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines for Regulators (1997), the upcoming Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines for Industry by the Oil and Gas Producers Association and IUCN, and the Arctic Council's Field Guide for Oil Spill Response in Arctic Waters (1998) and Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic (1997) There are a number of initiatives to establish a network of protected areas in the Arctic. One is the Arctic Council's Circumpolar Protected Area Network (CPAN) of terrestrial and marine sites. This network is intended to link current national systems and to incorporate sub-networks of Wetlands of International Importance established under the Ramsar Convention (1971) and other internationally designated sites. The IUCN and its World Commission on Protected Areas have established an Arctic Task Force and developed a Pan-Arctic Action P