CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network

Last updated
CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network
Formation2004
Founded atVancouver, British Columbia
Key people
Don E. Russell coordinator [1]
Website carma.caff.is

CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network (CARMA) is a scientific research network, launched in 2004 in Vancouver, British Columbia, [2] and funded by the Canadian International Polar Year (IPY) which focusses on the health of "the North's migratory tundra caribou and wild reindeer populations" in the face of global change, with up to 80% declines of some herds of wild Rangifer since 2004. [3] :3 The collaborative research is undertaken by an international team of scientists, administrators and members of local community members, particularly Rangifer hunters who share a common interest in their survival. [4]

Contents

History

In 2000 Rangifer was confirmed as the key indicator species and the official network was endorsed at a Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) group gathering in Iceland held "to develop a framework for a circumpolar biodiversity monitoring program." [2]

CARMA was launched in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2004 and is funded under the Canadian International Polar Year (IPY) program. The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)'s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program, "an international network of scientists, governments, Indigenous organizations and conservation groups working to harmonize and integrate efforts to monitor the Arctic's living resources" [4] invited CARMA to become an official network. [5]

During the 24-month period ending in March 2009, over fifty thousand researchers from over sixty countries embarked on collaborative intensive scientific research projects on the polar regions in the fourth and largest International Polar Year (IPY) since its inception in 1882, [6] [7] [8] [9] which resulted in the report entitled "Understanding Earth's Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007–2008". [6]

Organization

CARMA "has a small organizing committee coordinated through the Northern Research Institute (NRI) [10] of Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada." [11] CARMA is a network under the CBMP Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) which delivers biodiversity status to the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) group which reports directly to the Arctic Council (AC). CARMA included scientists from Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the United States and Russia. [11] [12] [13]

Tools and resources

Tools and resources in 2004 included the caribou anatomy atlas, [14] voices of caribou people, standardized monitoring protocols, manuals, community training video, climate database, CARMA database, models and a website. [15]

Conferences and publications

In 2012 CARMA produced the report entitled "CARMA 8 Moving Forward: Knowledge to Action." [3]

In 2013 CARMA published "CARMA’s MERRA-based caribou range climate database" in the journal Rangifer . [16]

CARMA representatives presented at the 16th North American Caribou Workshop, the "foremost conference of its kind addressing caribou biology, research and management", held in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in May 2016 organized by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Trent University, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Amec Foster Wheeler. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Polar Year</span> Efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions

The International Polar Years (IPY) are collaborative, international efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor in 1875, but died before it first occurred in 1882–1883. Fifty years later (1932–1933) a second IPY took place. The International Geophysical Year was inspired by the IPY and was organized 75 years after the first IPY (1957–58). The fourth, and most recent, IPY covered two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reindeer</span> Species of deer

The reindeer or caribou is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only representative of the genus Rangifer. More recent studies suggest the splitting of reindeer and caribou into six distinct species over their range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belkovsky Island</span> Island in Far Eastern Federal District, Russian Federation

Belkovsky Island is the westernmost island of the Anzhu Islands subgroup of the New Siberian Islands archipelago in the Laptev Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Wildlife Service</span> Branch of the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS, is a Branch of the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada, a department of the Government of Canada. November 1, 2012 marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic Council</span> Intergovernmental forum for the Arctic

The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic region. At present, eight countries exercise sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle, and these constitute the member states of the council: Canada; Denmark; Finland; Iceland; Norway; Russia; Sweden; and the United States. Other countries or national groups can be admitted as observer states, while organizations representing the concerns of indigenous peoples can be admitted as indigenous permanent participants.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porcupine caribou</span> Subspecies of deer

The Porcupine caribou(Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) is a herd or ecotype of barren-ground caribou, the subspecies of the reindeer or caribou found in Alaska, United States, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barren-ground caribou</span> Subspecies of deer

The barren-ground caribou is a subspecies of the reindeer that is found in the Canadian territories of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, in northern Alaska and in south-western, Greenland. It includes the Porcupine caribou of Yukon and Alaska. The barren-ground caribou is a medium-sized caribou, smaller and lighter-colored than the boreal woodland caribou, with the females weighing around 90 kg (200 lb) and the males around 150 kg (330 lb). However, on some of the smaller islands, the average weight may be less. The large migratory herds of barren-ground caribou take their names from the traditional calving grounds, such as the Ahiak herd, the Baffin Island herds, the Bathurst herd, the Beverly herd, the Bluenose East herd, the Bluenose West herd, the Porcupine herd and the Qamanirjuaq herd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Permafrost Association</span>

The International Permafrost Association (IPA), founded in 1983, is an international professional body formed to foster the dissemination of knowledge concerning permafrost and to promote cooperation among individuals and national or international organisations engaged in scientific investigation and engineering work related to permafrost and seasonally frozen ground. The IPA became an Affiliated Organisation of the International Union of Geological Sciences in July 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reindeer hunting in Greenland</span> The practice of hunting reindeer for their meat, fur, and antlers in Greenland

Reindeer hunting in Greenland is of great importance to the Greenlandic Inuit and sports hunters, both residents and tourists. Reindeer (caribou) are an important source of meat, and harvesting them has always played an important role in the history, culture, and traditions of the Greenlandic Inuit. Controlled hunting is important for the welfare of reindeer, the quality of life for Inuit, both as food, and part of their culture and Greenlandic culture in general, and the preservation of tundra grazing areas. Therefore, scientific research is regularly performed to determine the quotas needed to maintain a proper ecological balance.

Canada's Biodiversity Convention Office (BCO) serves as National Focal Point for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. BCO also provides a leadership role in the Biodiversity Conservation Working Group of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and in the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group of the Arctic Council.

Although the bulk of its area is covered by ice caps inhospitable to most forms of life, Greenland's terrain and waters support a wide variety of plant and animal species. The northeastern part of the island is the world's largest national park. The flora and fauna of Greenland are strongly susceptible to changes associated with climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy</span>

The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) is a multilateral, non-binding agreement among Arctic states on environmental protection in the Arctic. Discussions began in 1989, with the AEPS adopted in June 1991 by Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The AEPS deals with monitoring, assessment, protection, emergency preparedness/response, and conservation of the Arctic zone. It has been called a major political accomplishment of the post–Cold War era.

The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, based in Toronto, Ontario, is the Canadian affiliate of the Wildlife Conservation Society International (WCS), incorporated as a conservation organization in Canada in July 2004. WCS Canada currently runs conservation projects across six key regions in Canada led by its staff of field-based scientists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boreal woodland caribou</span> Subspecies of caribou or reindeer in North America

The boreal woodland caribou, also known as Eastern woodland caribou, boreal forest caribou and forest-dwelling caribou, is a North American subspecies of reindeer found primarily in Canada with small populations in the United States. Unlike the Porcupine caribou and barren-ground caribou, boreal woodland caribou are primarily sedentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Participatory monitoring</span>

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Kit Kovacs is a marine mammal researcher, best known for her work on biology, conservation and management of whales and seals. She is based at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Tromsø and is an Adjunct professor of biology, Marine Biology, at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).

Caribou herds in Canada are discrete populations of seven subspecies that are represented in Canada. Caribou can be found from the High Arctic region south to the boreal forest and Rocky Mountains and from the east to the west coasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Provencher</span> Canadian conservation biologist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reindeer distribution</span> Reindeer distribution around the world

The reindeer is a widespread and numerous species in the northern Holarctic, being present in both tundra and taiga. Originally, the reindeer was found in Scandinavia, eastern Europe, Russia, Mongolia, and northern China north of the 50th latitude. In North America, it was found in Canada, Alaska, and the northern contiguous USA from Washington to Maine. In the 19th century, it was apparently still present in southern Idaho. It also occurred naturally on Sakhalin, Greenland, and probably even in historical times in Ireland.

References

  1. Eamer, Claire (April 9, 2010), "Caribou show biodiversity within a single species" (PDF), CARMA
  2. 1 2 About CARMA, CARMA, nd, retrieved December 29, 2016
  3. 1 2 Joan Eamer; Don Russell, eds. (December 6, 2012), CARMA 8 Moving Forward: Knowledge to Action, Vancouver, BC, Canada: CircumArctic Rangifer Monitoring and Assessment Network, p. 47, retrieved December 29, 2016
  4. 1 2 About CARMA, CARMA, retrieved December 29, 2016
  5. "About CAFF". Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF).
  6. 1 2 Krupnik, Igor; Allison, Ian; Bell, Robin; Cutler, Paul; Hik, David; López-Martínez, Jerónimo; Rachold, Volker; Sarukhanian, Eduard; Summerhayes, Colin, eds. (February 2011). Understanding Earth's Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007-2008. Summary by the IPY Joint Committee. Rovaniemi, Finland: University of the Arctic and ICSU/WMO Joint Committee for International Polar Year 2007–2008. ISBN   978-1-896445-55-7 . Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  7. Barr, Susan; Lüdecke, Cornelia, eds. (2010). The History of the International Polar Years (IPYs). From Pole to Pole. Vol. 1. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-12402-0. ISBN   978-3-642-12401-3.
  8. "IPY History". International Polar Year. 4 February 2010.
  9. "International Polar Year 2007-2008: A Valuable Opportunity for Canada", Government of Canada, retrieved December 29, 2016
  10. Yukon College receives Prestigious research status
  11. 1 2 Don E. Russell; Anne Gunn; Robert G. White (January 26, 2015), "CircumArctic Collaboration to Monitor Caribou and Wild Reindeer" (PDF), Arctic , 68 (11): 6, doi: 10.14430/arctic4496 , retrieved December 29, 2016
  12. Friis-Baastad, Erling (November 29, 2013), "The good-news caribou" (PDF), Yukon Research Centre Yukon College and Environment Yukon
  13. Friis-Baastad, Erling (March 22, 2013), "Cars vs. caribou: an avoidable 'harvest'" (PDF), Yukon Research Centre Yukon College and Environment Yukon
  14. The Rangifer Anatomy Project: Linking community and scientific approaches to caribou structure and function, Aurora Research Institute, 2009, retrieved December 29, 2016
  15. Don Russell (2004), The CARMA Network: Tools and resources (PDF), Vancouver, retrieved December 29, 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. Don E. Russell; Paul H. Whitfield; Jing Cai; Anne Gunn; Robert G. White; Kim Poole (2013). "CARMA's MERRA-based caribou range climate database". Rangifer . 33 (21): 145–151. doi: 10.7557/2.33.2.2535 . Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  17. 16th North American Caribou Workshop (PDF). Thunder Bay, Ontario. May 16–20, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-19. Retrieved December 29, 2016.