Background Paper. Environmental Governance in the Marine Arctic

This paper presents an overview of the existing institutional and legal framework relevant to environmental governance, as well as formal and informal governance structures in the Arctic marine area. It highlights the complexity of approaches applicable at the local, regional and international scales, rather than identifying gaps in governance at the sectoral scale. Examples of environmental governance in the Arctic marine area are presented to show types of possible approaches, including species-oriented approaches (e.g. polar bears and beluga whales) as well as regional, cross-sectoral approaches (e.g. Barents Sea and greater North-East Atlantic). As seen in the literature and recent policy developments, environmental governance increasingly aims to a place-based, ecosystem-based approach.2 However, the practical steps needed to achieve the principles of ecosystem management will undoubtedly vary based on the specific issues and ecosystems to be addressed. Thus, it is important to recognise the value in combining multiple approaches to achieve coordinated international governance in the Arctic marine area.