Ni The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic ® (LX, La) 4 > \ o NA Y Hi = ber Ness GL WWF UNEP WCMC A report produced by UNEP-WCMC and UNEP/GRID-Arendal for WWF Arctic Programme + ky v & Authors (maps, GIS production and descriptions): ; weight ih Igor Lysenko Lge Sa Christoph Zéckler PAs Paes ; \ ; ind project management support: Bas vi Lorant Czaran Julien Roaud NG i er ~ # AIN 220 oF UNEPUICMC Pepats ou The 25 Largest Un-fragmented Wilderness Areas in the Arctic text by: Igor Lysenko (Lysenko@unep-wcmc.org) & Christoph Zéckler (Christoph @unep-wecmc.org) also contributed: Lorant Czaran (czaran@ grida.no) DECEMBER 2001 Table of Contents INTRODUCTIONFAND: DIS CILAIMIB RE: 2... c.ccese-csscsezesecsdearescsscoeceneesnend 5 DES GRIPMONIO BaRHES PROVE Cie a otece cae ceoseesazovecerssoictoen+divascestetves 6 Methodology PRESUTtS ees Beats sscssso eae eee eR me ae eo Me WN Leh SAN Ie Enos SNC aa hvnsdetondaensibeesoserer Acknowled Sementsir tcscrccrere tree tracert cee Fee erence ate nets gene ee tere crass jenadh ons enTvTS INO less Northen Sibe tanec nse. eaves t eet on ees aenn agesuaet vous scsecetecnens a) .General(descriptiontees eee ee 1.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones .. 35) Rloraand|Raunalerscscce-e-ceeeeeee 1.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas . 15-2) linreatsyand ihuturedevelopmients eee. eset ne sesseeseeeees cess eres he aera tee ccsenc cee INow255 CentraliCanadian Mundravand Vai gayerecccee: ccc ccceoce-e--c<-o0csssereceses 21 Dileep GENE LACES CH pt OM ese se eters eae ne er a gE Se Se sestasseustas sr oeTHeee 21 22. Biomesjand major vegetation ZOnesree. cvesce-ccescseee sees co cees sss sae seas ac css_ Sue sasessdssvssensetssverssousbeose 21 2.3. Flora and Fauna DE hs, VES eps rte caste oc cn ee ER ERO DS OCDE Er CoO TR CEOOEEH Ee SPEER SEER BePCEL Se ee ce ee re es EE 2.5. Nature Conservation and Protected areas ZAG weeelinreats and future\developments seers maces ee eee scans eso sesensssstae terreno 22 ING 9S eG C IN aM see ae terete sen c Sotounee du sus sBeNe cscs soae cient vectotaaeete 26 Sl es Generali descriptl one: -seecee-e- a eteseescces essere cies saevs eset ese so ene ese eserves ene 26 3.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones ...... weet sucusensc@ennes ssesusdasecssoiveesenses vaenenapeobeor ees 26 335 seblorajand)Haunape sees seers eee Beene ee at cca marae at cass Se st cds Oucdis eeaseeea 26 3.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas .............ccccecsssssesssesesescsesescscsccesesscscsssesesesesestsnsseaseee 27 S55 Wbreatsanditutureidevelopmentsyes-cesereseee er eee aes ee a ee 27 INov4= Canadian Arctic Archipelace ce. 2: cct-dsersoccsseecs-ceeesonssoavectoae 30 Alias General escriptiong sree sewers tee etreere ret ones tener ee cena ees eee Sea cal ae 30 4-2. Biomesyand major vegetation! ZONeS ee eecesctece-cee-asctseet veers tatevesseeteete- sist ssaehe-. eon erssts beater 30 423 ee Seb lorayand Baum atss.cte ctr ren ast eter aston, een Nr hee ae eee 4.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas 4°55) gubreats/and:future’de velop ments sess meeereres seeateexrteee i fore lect ies eset. ee eee eee 31 INOSS sy ee astem Canadians mieldu(@anada)) sess ie coos sete eee 34 SlheiGeneralldescription\se., f2ysceree sete tote tect Mae eet fi ss ares Nc ies Aa eociasamitiesdstenieesco eee 34 5.2. _ Biomes and major vegetation zones ... D5 ae loralandhaunaberss seers eee 5.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas 5.5. Threats and future developments.................. No. 6. Chukotka-Koryak (Russia) Gull ee General description teers sa. cctrcccvseserrene renee Peete Se ee ee ee rca gous sertienwthere 2) 6.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones ... SEDO RE PEEP DSSS one COTTE 37 Gia ey Dlorajand) Rau ae ses ere cece sets 21 a ena mene ne ee se Pr 37 6.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas ...........c.ccccscscsssssssssssssscscsescscsssesscssssssstecatstseneasseseaes 39 Gr Nee Uhreatsrandiiutnre developments meses see seme enn nee ee 39 INO Zee LTRUETS 22) (UISYEN)) 3 Sor erat Ant ae ec Ora arn ee 43 (eevee Generali Descriptiompers, seca crete cee ese cscs sscnes ie ccet eterno eee oes oes Seas hn doce ene odeasates cca lec oo 43 7.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones .......... Aeneas tts sivase ts desseiee cer atcee 43 (-3) seblorayand!Haundeeeset eee eee: oe SAA a Ona an eRe 43 7.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas .. as =F ODDEAO NE TODONCCOCE OS BE 45 7.5. Threats and future developments ...............:.cccccceceeeee coe SESS SHO GO OEE Rae cece Pn eenreG 45 Noxss” “SouthermiiadsonpBay (@anada)wer oisee 5. see. .c..0ted.seeseveaesesosecs 48 Sal), Generali Description tcresssrsetsses.cecsceeene terete eae ere ease scdgcsss ieee te cesesveetakenee 48 22 eee BiOMes andmalOrve peta llOnyZ Ole s pereeee teen seernee eee nn ee ee 48 835 Florajand/Faunaveees 2852 2 eee 8.4. | Nature Conservation and Protected areas 8.5. Threats and future developments No.9: North Yukon, (Alaska/Canada)).ccccsses.--sscessccndeeeeseameettecenxadeced 51 OMT . ., Cremerall) DESCrIP OOM vcsc...esescsesecoecuseuccecsstoertone os ccons eater es ae cottone ven scope as ene sassecestesirscsassucsttseneee 51 OD Biomesiand major vegetation ZOnes steerer ee eee eee cea ee sees eetnetic sn snes es sacte trae. 51 9.3. Flora and Fauna 9.4. | Nature Conservation and Protected areas 9.5. Threats and future developments No. 10. 10.1. 10.2. 10.3. 10.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas .... Le 10.5. hreats’and future developments! essere s care cnseseos scans seaceee sete nsaceans icnassescnsnesetanr essere aise No. 11. Yamal (Russia) 11.1. General description..............::ccceeeeeees 11.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones .. 11.3. Florajand | Raum ecco cseceacceceseeteeeeee eens 11.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas ..............:cccessssescsscssessssescsssscseescsssscesesensesensenensens 11.5. Mhreats and future developmiets yess crecec nesses eee eae a cenacae ease 60 No. 12. Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (Russia)................:scccessseesesseeeseees 64 12.1. General description 72, Biomes and major vegetation ZOMES .............::cc:cescecescesesesesccessscsessscssesssscersssscsscsscssessenes 12.3. Flora and aumal 2-s)-c-cscdeccvccevcececscot eee oe eae Wesnes AN ccb eae sne ge ane cesta eee esas 12.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas .... vy: 12.5. Mhreats and future developments - sxc ssccccce-ccececccqnen-ccneeseneacessecssseanuneacsnestesanesessweteesas sass ares No. 13. Muskwa/Slave Lake Forests (Camada)..............ccccccsccceceeeeeeee 68 13.1. General Description................00:::cce:eeeees 68 152: Biomes and major vegetation zones ..... ...68 183: BS Co) ec 0(0 0 1-10) 6: ...68 13.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas .... ...68 13.5. Threats and future development ..................:cccceccsscescescessesscsssscescesseasesecssessenscsecsccasesscaeeasees 68 Nor 14s «Souther Ieabrador (Canada); 50: 226...< 80%) of the Red-breasted Goose and Lesser White-fronted Goose, two globally threatened species and also the majority, possibly more than 70% of the Pintail Snipe are breeding in North Siberia. Another globally threatened species breeding here is the Baikal Teal and large numbers of White- tailed Eagles, currently considered as not highly endangered. Among the passerines the Pechora pipit and Dusky Thrush have by far their largest proportion breeding in the area. Other globally threatened species with considerable proportion of their breeding range include the East Atlantic flyway population of the Red Knot, breeding entirely in the area. Last, but not least, large proportions of the Great Knot and the Grey-tailed Tattler population breed in this and only one other wilderness area (No. 6 Chukotka—Koryak). White-billed Divers breed throughout the wilderness area, with concentrations on the Taimyr Peninsula. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. Fish With its large river basins it provides an enormous capacity and ecological service of freshwater fish, including Arctic Charr and several white fish species (Coregonus spp.). No estimates are available currently, but the ecological and economical importance is enormous. Fragmentation and access appears not to threaten the freshwater fish abundance. The intactness of the river system is more important. With only six known dams the catchment area in the wilderness area is little impacted at the time. 1.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 208,791 km’, about 9% of the area is protected by more than 25 sites (see map). 1.5. Threats and future developments Among a series of identified threats to biodiversity in North Siberia, mineral extraction and oil and gas development have to be mentioned first. Due to its richness in diamonds, gold, tin and other metals, the area already has been scarred by mining sites, winter roads and also numerous summer roads. Particularly the Western part of the area, southern Taimyr and central Siberia are rich in oil and gas deposits. South of a line fom the Yenisey Delta along Western Taimyr to the southern shore of lake Taimyr, towards the East coast of Taimyr, north of Beligov island, rich oil and gas deposits of medium to high quality have been explored and most likely will be exploited in the near future. The northern half of Taimyr, north of the described line will be untouched in terms of oil and gas drilling. The eastern part will also be left largely unharmed by oil exploration, apart from a small area around and north of Yakutsk, but basically east of the Lena watershed no oil and gas deposits have been found. Furthermore, the huge untouched boreal forest provides a vast resource of timber, which most likely is considered to be exploited with the risk of further fragmentation. Some of the roads described as summer roads have not been exactly identified with the best knowledge available. But most likely many of the shown summer roads in the wilderness are still likely to be only winter roads, such as the road following the Anabar River, in the Lower Indigirka River Delta and along the Khatanga River, to name just three examples. A further, more thorough analysis will reveal more evidence, but the size of the wilderness area will not be influenced by any reconsideration. The degree of wilderness in the area would be appreciated differently, when taking into account the less fragmented status in the south of Taimyr, Northeast Yakutia and along the Anabar River. However, the roads or tracks at those locations do indicate a potential risk of road construction and fragmentation in the future. In addition, the recognised large number of winter roads is of increasing concern as leading to more fragmentation (see map). Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Shakelton, D.M. and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Caprinae Specialist Group (1997): Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, U.K. 390 + vii pp. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library The Lena river mouth area; fires can be seen burning in several parts of the wilderness area (see detail below), marked with red and recognisable by the smoke tails generated; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA 18 Detailed view of above image; summer fires marked with red squares throughout the wilderness area; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA 19 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001. No. 1: Northern Siberia ° fawn WWF UNEP WCMC Major threats: a Mining A Oil drilling A __ Gas drilling Legend ie) Major cities ° Populated place ANZ Railroad 4N/ Primary & secondary roads ws,” Tracks / trails / winter roads /N/ Power transmission line of” Pipeline Complled by Dr |. Lysenko, QOUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major infrastructure features, km > 20 (lm > 20 (Area No 1) Protected Area, (boundary or point location) ESES3 [J IUCN category la, Ib, II | other protected areas Internationally designated sites: LAA) Ramsar (Wetlands) site ee World Heritage Site ad A aeaeneshe a aemedaal ele cet abi No. 2. Central Canadian Tundra and Taiga 2.1. | General description The second largest wilderness area in the Arctic region and the third largest in the world comprises 2,479,114 km* with 12% outside the Arctic, and 2,214,184 km* within the Arctic region as defined by WWE. It covers most of the catchment of the Mackenzie River with a total annual river discharge of appr. 450,000 to 550,000 cubic km. It does not contain any glaciers. The major mountain ridge is part of the Mackenzie Mountains. This wilderness area includes a wide variety of biomes ranging from Arctic tundra to boreal forest. Many valuable minerals can be found across this vast expanse, including copper, silver, gold, tungsten, diamonds and uranium and are subject to current, but also future exploitation with the threat of increasing fragmentation. Particularly oil and gas exploration seems to threat the wilderness area due to huge, unexploited oil and gas fields in the North of the region, raising the spectre of potential development of petroleum resources and subsequent transport along the Mackenzie Valley to markets in the United States. 2.2. | Biomes and major vegetation zones The region is very rich in habitats. Eleven different biomes can be distinguished in the area, of which tundra biomes prevail with 48,9% in total. Mountainous habitats are relatively uncommon with only 14,4% of the area. Comprising 257,767 km’, a large proportion (11.6%) is covered by freshwater lakes. The major biomes distribute as follows: Arctic tundra 8.1 Northern subarctic tundra 11.2 Southern subarctic tundra 24.4 Mountain tundra 5.2 Forest tundra 4.4 Northern taiga 22.5 Middle taiga 1.2 Southern taiga 2.8 Taiga wetland 0.3 Mountain taiga 8.2 Lakes 11.6 2.3. Flora and Fauna Flora Consistent with the largely intact habitats of this area, there are only six known locations of rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic, involving only three species (Pucinellia poacea, Mertensia drummondii and Erigeron muirii). This 1s comparable with the North Siberia wilderness and also indicates a less diverse flora. Fauna: Birds 21 Although the total number of bird species is unknown, the number of breeding birds is about 260. There are two endemic bird species or those with almost their entire population (90%) breeding in the wilderness area, including the Whooping Crane and possibly the Eskimo Curlew, considered to be almost extinct and whose present breeding sites are not exactly known. Another endemic bird is the Harris’ Sparrow. Among the bird species that have the largest proportion of their population in the Central Canadian Tundra and Taiga wilderness area are the Ross’s Goose, Hudsonian Godwit and possibly Semi-palmated Sandpiper. White-billed Loons and Great Northern Loon breed throughout the wilderness area. The birds require large, undisturbed habitats. Mammals The largest number of caribou in the Arctic region are found int his wilderness area and are located in eight different populations totalling more than 1,5 million animals. The area is also important for musk ox with an estimated population of up to 24,000 animals and increasing. Polar bears live along the coast with approximately 1,500 to 2,000 animals. The population of brown bears is estimated at over 5,000 animals. Numbering roughly 16,000, which is about 30 % of the total Canadian population, are wolf populations located north of 60° latitude . About 10,000 wolves are estimated to inhabit the wilderness area. Figures for the wolverine are estimated around 1,000. 2.4. Fish With its large river basin, the MacKenzie provides an enormous resource of freshwater fish, including Arctic Char, several white fish species (Coregonus spp.) and the Inconnu, or sheefish (Stenodus leucicthys nelma) with 4,200 metric tons catch per year, but in decreasing population status. With seven dams in the Mackenzie catchment area and another adjacent one in the wilderness area, the impact on the rivers and migrating fish has already started. 2.5. Nature Conservation and Protected areas About 186,406 km, representing 8.4 % of the area is protected (see map). Significant protected areas include the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, Tuktut Nogait National Park, Nahanni National Park, Wood Buffalo National Park and Wager Bay National Park on the Hudon Bay coast north of Baker Lake will soon be formally established. 2.6. Threats and future developments One in a series of identified threats to biodiversity in the Central Canadian Tundra and Taiga wilderness area is the oil and gas exploitation, due to known and estimated hydrocarbon reserves in the northwest part of the area. Up to five different pipeline routes are proposed to access the hydrocarbon fields and connect to those further west in Alaska (see map). Furthermore, mineral extraction will most likely be continued and expanded with additional risks of further fragmentation of the second largest wilderness area in the Arctic. In addition to the already existing two diamond-mining sites, three more sites are proposed for future exploitation in Jericho, Snap lake and Kennedy lake. Already today many kilometres of winter roads cut through the area and there is concern that some of these, in the context of the increasing exploitation of mineral resources, might be turned into all-weather roads. Due to its size and its 22 richness in minerals, the area is very likely to be fragmented further in the future. The effects on wildlife are largely unknown at this time. Sources: Cluff, H.D.: Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. Gunn, A. (2001): Environmental Impacts of Diamond Mining in the Canadian Arctic in CAFF (2001) Arctic Flora and Fauna. Helsinki: page 66. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 23 Dobbin Bay overview and detailed satellite image, Northern Canada; Terra/ASTER sensor; © - NASA The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 2. Central Canadian Taiga and Tundra - é eal ! : rt WWF iP WCMC mae ps af Na isivik’ me fe i: } % ro aH Hall Beachl \ sal Le. ae Bay rh 4 yt Ue Rane Lok ae ae IS > Arctic boundary Protected Area, ==> River (boundary or point location) Malar cities C1 Lake C1 IUCN category la, Ib, II Populated place Snowfield / Glacier MS (| other protected areas Railroad Distance from major Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km Tracks / trails / winter roads <20 Internationally designated sites: Power transmission line z at (Area No 3) WED Ramsar (Wetlands) site Pipeline Non-Arctic land LL World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Pt “i ern we Ui ue ii tL a Pea li T an a eee pen i i Anon) =) ‘ i ; th ee i : Py ea 1A i - 4 ‘ i mn cell i it au aM ta 1 ea i } ime y ey : a hy shite vray Preinonid £ al ae | [Man RF GERI, URN cNG § SY HODDER Leia aarigtys if Pwelt >recrilend rele 20,0001, tab tuieh C1S000), aati ; a CADHISG lSres « zcoe “Ge 20,081 |S miw how se) nt baste mogrie! oT i 1 at bers auntie altri ail aj ezomebiiw reogaal biel ‘art ai tt oqosu bain sonactA a Bie ciny ibyiget tain 2ei | fd a BSS Vda eee eS au HE dabei ptr EA ebiait tau A4) 5 SHOALS HE AP NA PU i be ver Emaar Syhihsd tees Si ee ARE Sar SIP seb Ger AIS ' i bal ae aviv te Oe Heer rae TRS RPI oft i fos “Abia det vila ERG BskesenD oe rte (2h Salt a esi ae ANGE BOOM Saori b ai deste sett nome <8 exybh od] lo emok apni: 7 sad sc (en GOVE) bloft ; Bild 4:6 drive ,drnao.no ony Sevblo odds Ainsangen inoit atu ad show ath i fae a ie mA ’ dito a bhi cbt od nie int ofr Vicente ncn ny roto tuo botneo need ead hoqwaant Yeoett iq od duc! sco noW on no plein aineesaliiog wot ont bao sioniitelh nIPALl sabe UMHS He efouiaou ea bad peatly i Cenintal 9 NiraES crf temmel, cloargnt Geis arco po West ane «| a me Vibe hie deve lope are kyw vind new fame IF COnGED Lape a ie Andy’ iis oe CAE ey ae Moevhonen tng v ae No. 3. Greenland 3.1. General description The largest island in the world, with 2,120,096 km° almost a continent between America and Europe, it is the third largest wilderness in the Arctic region and the fourth largest in the world. It is almost entirely covered by glacial ice and hardly developed by road or railway systems at all. The Greenland Ice cover is the second largest glacier in the world, the largest in the Arctic, covering 1,800,000 km”. It is 3,200 meters above sea level at its highest peak and 3,500 meters thick. It holds 9% of the world’s freshwater resources. Mostly mountainous and with a rocky coast, Greenland contains large mountain ridges. Its highest peaks range from around 2,500 to almost 4,000 meters, topping the ice cover along the East coast with Gunnbjgrn Fjeld (3700 m) in the Watkinsbjerge. Some of the ridges are among the oldest in the world. The Nuuk Fjord represents the oldest type on earth, with 3,8 billion years. The geology is very diverse, ranging from volcanic, through sediment, to various types of Gneiss. For this reason many, often rare minerals can be found and are exploited. As most transport has been carried out over the sea, only a few roads connect small distances around the few settlements, mainly on the West coast. Nuuk, the capital and largest settlement on the West coast has now about 13,000 inhabitants. 3.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones As the majority of the land mass is covered by ice, only a very small part, about 16% of the area is vegetated and distributed by biomes as follows: Polar desert 0.2 Arctic tundra 9.5 Northern subarctic tundra 4.8 Southern subarctic tundra 0.9 Glaciers 84.1 Lakes 0.5 3.3. Flora and Fauna Greenland is one of the best-investigated countries in the world in terms of biodiversity, with a complete inventory. Some selected taxa are listed. In total 9,400 species have been recorded. Flora (including phytoplancton, fungi and lichens): about 5,800 species recorded. Among them we can find five globally threatened vascular plant species, three of them in the low risk category: Calamagrostis poluninii Jamesoniella undulifolia Puccinellia rosenkrantzii Sisyrinchium groenlandicum Xledodendron vanhoeffeni three endemic species. 26 Fauna: The total number of animal species is about 3,600, including marine invertebrates. Mammals: eight terrestrial species, including the partly marine Polar bear, the arctic wolf and arctic fox, the Greenland reindeer (20,000), the musk ox (15,000), arctic and mountain hare. Birds: 231 species have been recorded, of which 58 species breed on the island. Among them the sea birds dominate with huge colonies on the West coast and water birds with four goose, seven duck and 14 wader species breeding on the tundra habitats. Among large birds of prey, White-tailed Eagles breed along the West Coast with 150 -170 pairs and Gerfalcons are widespread but sparse breeders on both coasts. One of world’s largest populations of Arctic terns is still breeding on Greenland with about 80,000 pairs, but declining due to human disturbance. 3.4. | Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 868,145 km’, almost 41 % of the area is protected by 11 sites, including the largest protected area in the world (see map). 3.5. Threats and future developments Currently in Greenland mining of lead, silver and tin is local at the West coast. No further plans for development are known. Huge oil and gas fields off the Eastern coast of Greenland are reasons for concern though. Even if exploited offshore, it will have an impact on the land-based infrastructure on the remote east coast. Sources: Boertmann, D. (1994): A annotated checklist to the birds of Greenland. Bioscience 38: 1-63 Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. Talbot, S. et al. (1999): UNEP-WCMC Map Library 27 View over Eastern Greenland coast; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA 28 The 25.Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 3: Greenland (Bs (0) wwe UNEP WCMC Arctic boundary Protected Area, River (boundary or point location) pelene tes Lake [1 IUCN category la, Ib, II Populated place Snowfield / Glacier SSS) £1 other protected areas Railroad Distance from major Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, krn : Tracks / trails / winter roads < 20 Internationally designated sites: Power transmission line > 20 p : Pipeline > 20 (Area No 3) Wt Ramsar (sid) site Non-Arctic land EZ World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 The total w Kala Hy eM m . Sitti. ce Whe: We eit so papillon | AOE brood u idee. S70 R) are Me a > Wandpipor, ef baht “ase : { s : ‘ Uist eva in : “e “A o iateb by al pepe ae Ki, ap if Al alight ahh he ii Ba alti ect ban) Ni: bit aahy Fient'y, My YARRA . aeelahe ; ht ny het’ L giana j dp ipa y rok Ba 6 : iba Lanne oxabs jaan er use wate, RRS eel ai Yo THF Pei sear es Peain . i Pye Si kd rok Ps AE ICH SI Woes Moet ast Wit inet ak: gnianqanoa ,sradal aiRte® no baw zyedioH toma moweel . one in evs odT . ebrinles azsdl ay Wino} od vals ag: aniainuoan oleh ates 7 ve & ig trai ae a biog . aoe ee Pricer me yo yy rut ais | id Preven yey ie a airs se ata Parks tow es hy Hy ity fie 2 halo be ;‘@ bs ie P oa . i - © < ” ‘ : aadatLaien 1 y eS M. Ye , Tg % ae 7 a f i i fect ot 7 es i 5 : ¢ ? = 7 ; No. 4. Canadian Arctic Archipelago 4.1. General description The fourth largest wilderness area in the Arctic region and the fifth largest in the world comprises 1,380,725 km/. It is completely within the Arctic region as defined by WWE. Wildlife migrations occur from the islands to the mainland across sea ice. Hence, the archipelago in combination with the Central Canadian Tundra and Taiga area (No. 2) would by far be the largest wilderness area in the Arctic region, comprising 3,594,909 km’. The Canadian Archipelago consists of about 20 larger and medium sized islands with numerous smaller islands, all of which are connected with each other for most of the year. Glaciers can be found in the high Arctic on Ellesmere, Devon, Axel Heiberg and on Baffin island, comprising in total 11% of the wilderness area. Major mountains can also be found on these islands. The area contains a lot of valuable minerals, including copper, silver, gold, tungsten and uranium and is subject to current, but also future exploitation with the threat of increasing fragmentation. 4.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The region is dominated by high Arctic tundra and polar desert, only separated by 11% glaciers and 4.6% lakes. Mountainous habitats comprise a small proportion (<2%) of the area, but due to the high northern latitudes, tundra conditions are prevalent. The major biomes distribute as follows: Polar desert 8.5 Arctic tundra 55.4 Northern subarctic tundra 18.6 Mountain tundra 1.9 Glaciers 11.0 Lakes 4.6 4.3. 3.Flora and Fauna Flora There are 9 records of one rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic (Pucinellia poacea), all located on Ellesmere Island . Fauna: Mammals About one-third of the world;s Polar bear population (7,000 animals) inhabit the Canadian Archipelago. The area is also home to the largest wild population of musk Ox, comprising up to 80% of the global population, numbering some 110,000 animals on Victoria and Banks islands. In total the islands support 140,000 caribou. In particular, the wilderness area is also home of the endangered Peary Caribou, the smallest and most northern caribou subspecies. The High Arctic and Banks Island populations are considered to be endangered, while the Victoria Island (Low arctic) population is listed as threatened. Birds 30 The total number of bird species is unknown, the number of breeding birds is about 120. There are about four endemic bird species or those with almost their entire population (>90%) breeding in the wilderness area, among them the White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-Breasted Sandpiper and Thayers Gull. Among the bird species with a large proportion of the population in the Canadian Archipelago wilderness area are the entire American population of the Purple sandpiper and the entire American population of the Ivory Gull with an estimated population size of almost 4,000, which is about a quarter of the global population. Southampton Island in the southern part of the Archipelago in the Northern Hudson Bay contains nine sandpiper species, an unexpectedly high diversity. White-billed Divers breed throughout the wilderness area. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. 4.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 186,406 km, about 8.4 % of the area is protected by several sites (see map). Most protected areas are national parks located on Baffin Island and Banks Island. Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area, located on North Bathurst Island, has been withdrawn from any resource extraction and, as a result, is afforded the same level of protection as national parks. Discussions for a national park adjoining Polar Bear Pass to the north are underway and the candidate has been given interim protection. 4.5. Threats and future developments Among a series of identified threats to biodiversity in the Canadian Archipelago wilderness area is oil and gas exploitation, due to a huge field in the Sverdrup Basin in the north. Particularly oil and gas exploration seems to threat the wilderness area due to huge unexploited oil and gas fields in the north in the Sverdrup basin and east of the region, on Baffin Island. Additionally, mining activities on lead, silver and tin might continue and expand with additional risks of further fragmentation. Sources: Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library Zockler, C. (1998): Patterns in Biodiversity in Arctic Birds. WCMC. Biodiversity Bull. No.4 CAFF (2001): Arctic Flora and Fauna. Status and Conservation. Helsinki. 272pp Typical winter view of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago wilderness area; Terra/MODIS sensor; © -NASA 32 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 © aN des No. 4. Canadian Archipelago > ies, (0) WWF UNEP WCMC aay 7? >» Repulse Bay ean | >A eee Foor eis - Gape Dorset —2_%: \ Do an ey 5 Kimm ir Se ey ee gd ~~ “Ee Chostorfiold-inlot> é. RN Iryv aid ay Rankin Inlet rd g = re aes f 4 “ ml \ aa Vee ye 0. teg_200 308, 40 509 Boo 760-800 900.2680 zkilometers \_» Arctic boundary Protected Area, == River (boundary or point location) SRE ieee ana eee SSS9 1 IUCN category la, |b, I nowfie acier = SA Railroad BES ce S49 [other protected areas jor 7/7 Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km >.’ Tracks / trails / winter roads < 20 Internationally designated sites 47 Power transmission line © at (Area No 3) ELA Ramsar (Wetlands) site Pa Pipeline Nan Archeland IID World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, GSUNEP-W CMC, 2001 Sars se pp Ganley f Speeches 15 atewnacc rat Deir (api bey whieh et ee a a of Phe Sp ie | fe PcTOT e : j a? LP OAEe prpeuarion Ne Prrcunetinnge (1: in laser sami atelier cnty ; Rangis ipalnted win! Legst Sccedplpcr a DUAGIIAG eBay “ee i hae wi ih f, tinw Fond 2 BU. 8O8 axcrnyenay me AAT vy antt 1i sous seomabliw tezgrel ria a7 . ge ad tb oni! a 6 Ong ShKnA alt sbieao divas gaibasixd ann ort! to P| eNtiriah 26 Fong) ek iw Weagrsl sixje oct yidieaaty bien odes, meet Ee ibs byt edgy 4! Dap), oay Wer HEINE rol Ht OS by : ‘ied HST LAIN Diba iy war hy oo do opm " bromait .\cseaig i ee ee \e MAI pAat inpaehthy +t YS ee. . ea 9 ree a yf eons Mia ah shy F- ; TF = . se er Bey ‘ a Fane thot ay eae ' ‘aT a —_ ] d | ott ; ss 7 1 72 | 7 >. oa z i 7 ty ees wr ba . e - te : Ce uw Oo No. 5. Eastern Canadian Shield (Canada) 5.1. General description The fifth largest wilderness area in the Arctic region comprises 908,086 km’ with 11% of the area extending south outside the Arctic region as defined by WWF. It is possibly the sixth largest wilderness area in the world, but definitely among the top 10 global sites. A global analysis on wilderness areas might reveal more detailed information. Mountainous terrain occurs only in the northeast portion of the area in northern Labrador and has been protected in the Torngats Mountain National Park. Iron and tin mining is known to take place at present, diamond exploration is occurring and discussions are ongoing to develop the Voisey’s Bay nickel deposit in central Labrador. Many freshwater lakes and rivers are characteristic to the area, and serve as critical habitat for many wildlife species, but 14 dams indicate the development pressure on these resources. 5.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The dominant features of the region are southern sub-arctic tundra and forest tundra, as well as a very large proportion of freshwater lakes, covering 11.2% of the region. Mountainous habitats are relatively small and give only 2% of the area. Tundra habitats prevail due to the high northern latitudes. The major biomes are distributed as follows: Arctic tundra 2.0 Northern subarctic tundra 6.5 Southern subarctic tundra 27.8 Forest tundra 35.7 Northern taiga 16.5 Taiga wetland 0.2 Lakes 11.2 5.3. 3. Flora and Fauna Flora No rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic have been recorded in the wilderness area. Fauna: Mammals With 780,000 individuals, the George River population is the largest caribou population in the world and the total wilderness area hosts more than 1,000,000 caribous. With an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 polar bears, the coast along the region is also very important for the species in a circumpolar context. Birds The total number of breeding bird species of 109 is relatively low compared to the size of the region. They include such northern species as the Snowy Owl, but also southern species, such as the Caspian Tern and the Common Nighthawk. The latter 34 species is characteristic for boreal forest located in the southern part of the region. There are no endemic bird species or species with almost their entire population (>90%) breeding in the wilderness area. There are only two sandpiper species, Semi- palmated and Least Sandpiper breeding in the area. 5.4. | Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 45,991 km, only 5.6% of the area is protected in 17 medium-sized sites (see map). Many of the protected areas in northern Quebec are legally withdrawn from resource extraction, but have not been designated through a formal process. 5.5. Threats and future developments Apart of iron and tin mining in the north, and the Voicey’s Bay nickel deposit in central Labrador, no further developments are known in the area. Potential hydro development is a continual issue. Oil and gas fields are not known and no major threats appear to be coming from these sources. Sources: Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library CAFF (2001): Arctic Flora and Fauna. Status and Conservation. Helsinki. 272pp 35 ald 4 7 clitoral hea mapa: seepage pidecluas lusnted nei! JieieO HW cle atiiaryag ulin 1d reciegin Maier eokoore ve iaioume CIN Cipniilinis ay aniy Sry. Hine aol MiUiiieRE “io sue nod pote desanotiliu seb ni gatbannh (MNOS «| ie any oy 0) al priimind secretion: dagt.k tne When ee le es wend?) mi igh AR BAO A ann Re Tae Ro a ‘< Pag — v) Pee TS 1 0 ae UG 3 i 1 ih Ape a i iis bt The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 5: Eastern Canadian Shield ® £Sy 1-wQ ey (ams a Ky &) O WWE Pe. ( Wvujiviky) ; | © Salluit te Iqaluit — <5 Kang iqsujuaq [Te a, Quaqtaq oS) J “—Kangirsuk i ks uiiuaa Labrador City =o Walsh >| sed cet \ ES ) 900 Kilometers i Legend Major cities Populated place Railroad Primary & secondary roads Tracks / trails / winter roads Power transmission line Pipeline \_» Arctic boundary >> # River [eee]! ake Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major nfrastructure features, km < 20 > 20 > 20 (Area No 3) Non-Arctic land Protected Area, ; (boundary or point location) M999 OF IUCN category la, Ib, Il MN [7 other protected areas Internationally designated sites: Ramsar (VVetlands) site World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 are SF TP ety F, : 7 eon ' ' J io sat-o cael beiieRQeTy te6pie ah aT biaihe aribengo metasa A OH, No. 6. Chukotka-Koryak (Russia) 6.1. General description The Chukotka-Koryak wilderness area comprises 858,407 km’, 777,840 km? of which is in the Arctic region and 11% of it is extending south outside the Arctic region as defined by WWF, into Kamchatka and the Magadan district. Its remote situation in northeastern Siberia near Alaska has been responsible for comparatively little development and its un-fragmented status by today. It is one of the most diverse regions in the Arctic. Recent finds of huge oil and gas fields and the richness in mineral resources though describes this wilderness site as one of the sites most vulnerable to fragmentation in the entire Arctic, already indicated by ongoing road constructions (see map). The site is close to Alaska, only separated from it by the Bering Strait, but up to now it suffered only little impact from North America. Most of the area, more than 75% is covered by mountains habitat, but without any glaciers. Highest peak: (1454 m) 6.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The majority of the area is covered by mountainous habitats; some of them are little vegetated and barren (up to 25%). The prevailing vegetation is the mountain taiga and mountain tundra, but also coastal tundra with moss-sedge tundra components and very little bush vegetation. Lakes only constitute a small fraction with less than 1% of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Arctic tundra 2.2 Northern subarctic tundra 5.3 Southern subarctic tundra 14.0 Mountain tundra 35.5 Northern taiga 1.8 Mountain taiga 40.4 Lakes 0.9 6.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but it is very diverse and high compared with other regions in the Arctic. The number of rare endemic plant species is comparatively high with more than 20 locations concentrating in Northern Chukotka. They involve 29 species of which the following 19 are listed as globally threatened: Androsace semiperennis Artemisia flava Artemisia senjavinensis Cardamine sphenophylla Claytoniella vassilievii vassilievii Hedinia czukotica Oxytropis beringensis Oxytropis deflexa dezhnevii 37 Oxytropis wrangelii Papaver atrovirens Potentilla tschaunensis Pucciphippsia czukczorum Ranunculus punctatus Roegneria nepliana Rumex krausei Taraxacum czaunense Taraxacum jurtzevii Taraxacum petrovskyi petrovskyi Taraxacum senjavinense Fauna: Mammals: The area is also rich in mammal species, including large predators, such as Polar bear, Brown bear, the arctic and red fox, the wolf and wolverine. Polar bear: 2,000 to 5,000 (Chukchi Sea, shared with Alaska) Brown bear: 4,000 Wolf: 2,000 Wolverine: no estimates Reindeer: 35,000 Elk: 10,000 Snow sheep: common and wide-spread all over the mountains in the area, estimates around 6,000 to 7,000 animals Additionally, colonies of sea lions, walruses and many other seals do have resorts along the wilderness area’s coast. Birds: With about 200 bird species breeding, the area is very diverse compared to many other regions. The region is also rich in endemic and globally threatened species. Foremost nine globally threatened species, including the Spoon-billed Sandpiper as a species also endemic to the region is entirely breeding inside the Chukotka Koryak wilderness area. Currently the population is estimated not to exceed 1,000 pairs. Other globally threatened species include Nordmann’s Greenshank and Steller's Sea-Eagle endemic to the Russian Far East. The small breeding range of the first just extends into the southern end of the wilderness area. Steller's Sea-Eagle is breeding almost exclusively in the wilderness area. As a large predator bird, the species is very much relying on large un-fragmented areas. With currently only 7,500 birds and the majority breeding in Kamtchatka, the wilderness area is very likely responsible for hosting more than half of the breeding population in the south of its area. Other globally threatened species include: Baikal Teal Lesser White-fronted Goose Marbled Murrelet The latter species has been included into the latest Red data book, due to a major decline of more than 35 % in the last ten years. As it is also breeding inland away from the coast in old-growth forests, it is vulnerable to development and fragmentation. Additionally, the area hosts a large number of breeding White-tailed 38 Eagles, and a small population of Far-eastern Curlews, both listed at low risk in the global Red Data book. White-billed Divers breed throughout the wilderness area, with the highest concentration in Chukotka. The wilderness area probably contains the largest population. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. Other bird species include a large variety of waders. With almost 50 wader species breeding in the area, including 16 of the total of 24 sandpiper species, the Chukotka- Koryak wilderness area is the most diverse in this respect, as well. Last, but not least, large populations of Great Knot and Grey-tailed Tattler breed in this and only one other wilderness area (No. 1: North Siberia). The Emperor Goose is another endemic species to the Bering Sea, and the breeding range and population in the Chukotka- Koryak wilderness area is only shared with Alaska, and both areas are important for the well-being of the species, which spends almost its entire lifecycle in these two wilderness sites or nearby. 6.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas Only 30,027 km’, representing 3.9% of the wilderness area is protected by 11 sites only south of the Anadyr Bay. The north is completely unprotected (see map); this most diverse area with six globally threatened bird species is insufficiently protected. 6.5. Threats and future developments The threats to the area are as multiple and diverse as the region itself, due to its richness in minerals. Recently discovered large resources of gold and other minerals are target for exploitation in the near future. A large proportion of the Russian gold resources can be found in the area. Some of it has already been subject to current exploitation, but some areas with gold reserves along the North coast and in the North of the Chukchi Peninsula might be connected by roads soon, and the wilderness is endangered of the immediate threat of further fragmentation (see map). A threat by coal mines in the central and southern part of the area is not so immediate, as the mines do not contain the highest quality coal. Of the seven sites rich in gold, only two have been exploited so far. Particularly threatening are the sites along the coast above the Anadyr bay and near Kolyunshinskaya Guba. Also very threatening seem to be the large oil fields in the southern Anadyr Bay and along the Bering Sea coast in the south, as well as another field in the sea off the north coast of Chukotka. In addition, several sites of high pressure from human activity have been recognised in the wilderness area. The majority are located around Cape Schmidt along the North coast, opposite Wrangel Island. Other areas are further inland on the Anadyr and Velikaya rivers, as well as near Beringovski at the Bering Sea coast. A large network of roads already exists in the area or is leaping into the wilderness area. In several places, the wilderness area is in immediate danger of being closed (see map). A current road construction between Pevek at the Chaunskaya Bay and mining sites near Anguema River in the northern part is going to split the wilderness and will cut off the entire North coast, including the Chukchi Peninsula. The new area is additionally in danger to be split further soon by connecting the existing road with a gold mine near the Kolyunshinskaya Bay. The size of the Chukotka Koryak wilderness will be most likely reduced by about 20%. This road is already under construction, but they are plenty of other tracks that can easily be turned into proper summer roads and continue 39 to split the sixth largest wilderness site with major implications on the most diverse wilderness area in the Arctic. Sources: Doer, D. (1998): Zur Bestimmung und Verbreitung des Tiipfelgriinschenkels Tringa guttifer. Limicola 12: 57-71. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Shakelton, D.M. and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Caprinae Specialist Group (1997): Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, U.K. 390 + vii pp. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge Tomkovich, P. et al. (2000): UNEP-WCMC Map Library Bering Strait ice flows, April 2000, Terra/MODIS sensor; © NASA aN = ne Diane a A Sir: Bee 40 £ Bering Strait, Summer 2000, MISR sensor; © NASA 41 ‘Ko conwy bad No. 6: Chukotka-Koryak The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 WWF UNEP WCMC 60 SS (2.800 1000 Kilometers OY 170° Legend ie) Major cities ° Populated place AZ Railroad /N/ Primary & secondary roads os” Tracks / trails / winter roads ZN/ Power transmission line oe” Pipeline Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Arctic boundary >= River 9) ~=—s Lake [==] Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major infrastructure features, km < 20 > 20 Gm > 20 (Area No 6) @ Non-Arctic land Major threats: Ay R Ih / ae @ Mining A Oil drilling A _ Gas drilling 00L 009 Protected Area, ‘ (boundary or point location) ESSssj [J IUCN category la, Ib, II -] other protected areas Internationally designated sites: A Ramsar (Wetlands) site \ SA World Heritage Site No. 7. Alaska (USA) 7.1. | General Description The Alaska wilderness area covers 691,167 km‘, all inside the Arctic region as defined by WWF. The site is close to Chukotka in Russia (wilderness area No. 6), only separated by the Bering Strait, but up to now there is very little exchange between the sites, which underlines the remoteness of both sites. In general there is quite a lot of similarity in biomes and species with the Chukotka-Koryak wilderness, reflecting the connection of both areas in pre-historic era. Mountains and coastal tundra habitats dominate the area. The area is well populated with Inuit and Americans from the mainland in increasing numbers, putting additional pressure on the wilderness by expanding the already existing road network. Most of the area, 38.7%, is covered by mountain habitat, but with only a few glaciers. Highest peak: McKinley (6,194 m) in the Alaska Range, just on the southeastern edge of the wilderness is the highest mountain in North America. 7.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones With nine different biomes, the Alaska wilderness area is very diverse in habitats. The prevailing vegetation is the mountain taiga and mountain tundra, but also coastal tundra with moss-sedge tundra components and very little bush vegetation. Lakes only cover a small fraction with less than 3.4% of the area. The few glaciers can be found in the mountain ridges and cover 1.7% of the area. The area is divided in biomes as follows: Arctic tundra 2.0 Northern subarctic tundra 5.4 Southern subarctic tundra 16.5 Mountain tundra 23.0 Coastal tundra 14.4 Northern taiga 7.9 Mountain taiga 25.7 Glaciers 1.7 Lakes 3.4 7.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but very diverse and high compared with other regions in the Arctic. The number of rare endemic Arctic plant species is comparatively high with more than 20 locations concentrating in Northern Alaska and on the Seward Peninsula. They involve 12 species, 11 of which are considered as globally threatened: Artemisia globularia Beckwithia glacialis alaskensis Douglasia beringensis Erigeron muirii 43 Mertensia drummondii Oxytropis sordida barnebyana Poa hartzii alaskana Potentilla murrayi Pucciphippsia czukczorum Rumex krausei Fauna: Mammals: The area is also rich in mammal species, including large predators, such as Polar bear, Brown bear, the arctic and red fox, the wolf and wolverine. Polar bear: 2,000 to 5,000 (Chukchi Sea, shared with Chukotka) and many marine mammals. The Brown bear is estimated at about 20,000 of a total of 31,700 estimated for all of Alaska, and the wilderness area contains most likely the largest bear density in the whole Arctic region. Wolverine: 4,500 (for all of Alaska) Wolf: 7,500 (for all of Alaska) Musk ox: 3,300 Caribou: 450,000 + Moose: 10,000 Dall sheep: more than 20,000 In addition, colonies of sea lions, walruses and many other seals do have resorts along the wilderness area’s coast. Birds: With about 200 bird species breeding, Alaska is very diverse compared to many other regions and as rich in species as the Chukotka-Koryak wilderness area. The region is also rich in endemic and globally threatened species. Foremost the globally threatened species, including the vulnerable Bristle-thighed Curlew endemic to the region is entirely breeding inside the Alaska wilderness area. Another globally threatened species is the Marbled Murrelet, endemic to the Bering Sea region and also breeding in the Chukotka—Koryak and St.Elias/Kluane wilderness area. The species has been included only recently into the Red data list, due to a major decline of more than 35% in the last ten years. Other endemic species or those, which have the large majority of their population in the wilderness area, include the Black Turnstone, possibly the Wandering Tattler and the Surfbird. Even though the Western Sandpiper does breed in Chukotka, by far the large majority of the most common sandpiper, with 2.5 to 3 million birds, is breeding in Alaska, and here almost entirely in the wilderness area. The Emperor Goose is another endemic species to the Bering Sea region and the breeding population is only shared between Alaska and Chukotka, and both areas are important for the well-being of the species, which spends its lifecycle almost entirely in the two wilderness sites or nearby. White-billed Divers breed throughout the wilderness area. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. Other bird species include a large variety of waders. With 44 wader species breeding in the area, including 14 of the 24 sandpiper species, the Alaska wilderness area is also very diverse in this respect. The southernmost spit along the Bering Sea hosts a variety of large sea bird colonies, including a large number of endemic sea birds, such as Red-legged Kittiwake and Cassin’s Auklet. 7.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas 38.7% of the area, stretching over 267,168 km’, is well protected through about 14 sites (see map); this most diverse area with five globally threatened bird species is clearly not well protected at all. 7.5. Threats and future developments The threats to the area are as multiple and diverse as the region itself, due to its richness in minerals and oil reserves. Recently discovered large resources of oil, gas and gold among many of the minerals have been already targeted for exploitation. Most threatening though seem to be the large oil and gas fields along the northern coast. A large network of roads already exists in the area or is leaping into the wilderness area. In several places, the wilderness area is in immediate danger of being closed by additional pipelines linking to those already existing. Together with Chukotkaya-Koryak the Alaska wilderness area is most threatened by oil and gas development and mining activity. Additionally, another threat is deriving from the planned testing site for the National Missile Defence system, which recently allocated planned sites in the Alaskan wilderness. The exact locations are not known. Sources: Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Shakelton, D.M. and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Caprinae Specialist Group (1997): Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, U.K. 390 + vii pp. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 45 Terrad/ASTER sensor - © NASA , ge, Alaska Anchora 46 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 7: Alaska = EWN yy. Bey GLY Lif Legend Major cities Populated place Railroad Primary & secondary roads Tracks / trails / winter roads Power transmission line Pipeline Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Lipo, Arctic boundary River Lake Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major eee re features, km > 20 > 20 (Area No 7) Non-Arctic land S Rat” NS SS WCMC ee 400 500 Kilometers Protected Area, ; (boundary or point location) IUCN category la, Ib, II (0 other protected areas Internationally designated sites: EZ Ramsar (VVetlands) site EZ World Heritage Site Eva ' te ’ _ a i eth 1 rs —- " wn r ~~ 7 : bi . : a! it yal a ‘i st te ae me i if an NT es OS VE Vell om wih F ant Aah is sae Bre shia Cs twit seen Brad tO Liew 1 t } troiiqrrestl tava) La ; ye onitels te néaigen BOA : A ohabal uh si of yhacen Saantitob ten ¢ 4 oosbult oni err out ft. batinuled ai wleadt Reet nia bot Bos ct Nd by ee an vi 4 | : No. 8. Southern Hudson Bay (Canada) 8.1. General Description The wilderness area comprises 596,249 km’, of which only less than half, 282,906 km’ are inside the Arctic region as defined by WWF. The site is delimited in the north by the Hudson Bay and dominated mostly by boreal forest. The area is well populated with Inuit and Americans from the mainland in increasing numbers, putting additional pressure on the wilderness expanding the already existing road network. 8.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The wilderness area is characterised by not many different biomes. The prevailing vegetation is the taiga with almost 80%, and is mostly moist, with interspersed bogs and other wetlands. Only 17% are tundra vegetation. Lakes only cover a small fraction with less than 2.2% of the area. Southern subarctic tundra 17.0 Forest tundra 1.0 Middle taiga 5.5 Taiga wetland 74.3 Lakes 2.2 8.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but the number of rare endemic plant species is comparatively high, with eight locations along the Hudson Bay shore. They involve 2 species, both considered as globally threatened: Linum lewisii lepagei (LR) Salicornia borealis Fauna: Mammals: With approximately 1,000 polar bears, the area is quite densely populated with this top predator and highly sensitive to further fragmentation. Brown bear: widespread, but no numbers available Wolverine: numbers? Wolf: numbers most likely around 1,000 to 2,000 animals Caribou: woodland caribou, no numbers available Moose: no numbers available Birds: The number of birds breeding in the wilderness area is not known, but likely to be higher than the average of Arctic sites, due to its southern, more forest-covered components. The area is rich in species ranging from southern boreal forest species, such as seven woodpecker species to high Arctic ducks such as King Eider and, locally, Ross’s Gull near Churchill, and extremely large Snow Goose colonies. The Hudsonian Godwit does have one of its major strongholds in this wilderness area, in the tundra along the Hudson Bay coast. Among the large predator birds, the Golden 48 Eagle is still widespread. There are no globally threatened or endemic species known to breed in the wilderness area. 8.4. | Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 41,416 km’, 14.6 % of the Arctic part of this area is protected by 3 large sites (see map). 8.5. Threats and future developments There are no threats known to the area, though the tourist development near Churchill has expanded and might reach out to neighbouring sites along the Hudson Bay coast. Sources: Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 49 | | | . : a ie : mi 7 PM itd vee IAR ee agate a ar i aca a rissattmetbew fa : nee botaaiiny bun naiersoenc) orig a aati whdieaniany anton 8d toy ea RANT FO BPs wih aly, fae Hie ties Ahern reap hing ye dedines coy WP, . 1% “e4 PReten iy the ow un ey na Ta wnt) EoNeE Bade tang No. 8: Southern Hudson Bay The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 e@ CSR eB! yams PF): WWF UNEP WCMC — S ance — iC a3 ee Inukjuaq > oS a) — Ss RSs 2 = Kashechoewan} . Legend \ » Arctic boundary >= River fo) Major cities eae] Lake bee ee place EE Snowfield / Glacier ailroa 7 j : Distance from major “\/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km -s..¢ Tracks / trails / winter roads < 20 Power transmission line ae or” Pipeline ’ Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 > 20 > 20 (Area No 3) Non-Arctic land Protected Area, ' (boundary or point location) 0 IUCN category la, Ib, II © S (|_ other protected areas Internationally designated sites ELA Ramsar (VVetlands) site EZ World Heritage Site Lae ee S a iol oeel tho ois ent alesed bein arigerinis fewer os oT. ; os “5G ndabul mene ont , wr iJ 2) No. 9. North Yukon (Alaska/Canada) 9.1. General Description The wilderness area covers 273,394 km”, all entirely inside the Arctic region, as defined by WWF, and bisected by the Canada/U.S. border between Alaska and Yukon. It is smaller than the Gydan wilderness, but its Arctic proportion is larger. The area is characterised by mountainous terrain, but lowland coastal habitats and river valleys are also prevalent, particularly the Yukon river and parts of the Western Mackenzie River Delta. Most of the area, more than 74%, is covered by mountain habitat, but with only a few glaciers. Highest peak: Mt. Chamberlin in the Brooks range with 2,977 m. 9.2. | Biomes and major vegetation zones Although the wilderness area is characterised by few broad habitat types, there is a diversity of community types along environmental gradients from coastal tundra to alpine to taiga. The prevailing vegetation is the mountain tundra with almost 40% and other lowland tundra types with 14.4%. The taiga vegetation types cover over 44% and the mountain types prevail with 34%. Altogether, mountains dominate about 75% of the area. The highest peak is Mt. Chamberlin in the Brooks Range with 2,977 m. A few small glaciers cover 0.2% of the area. Lakes only cover a small fraction with 1.4% of the area. Northern subarctic tundra 0.3 Southern subarctic tundra 14.1 Mountain tundra 39.8 Northern taiga 10.3 Mountain taiga 33.9 Glaciers 0.2 Lakes 1.4 9.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but the number of rare endemic plant species is comparatively high, with eight locations in the northern part and at the Beaufort Sea shore. They involve three species, two of which are considered as globally threatened with category low risk: Erigeron muirii Poa hartzii alaskana Potentilla brooksensis Fauna: Mammals: Polar bear: about 1,200 Brown bear: 6,300 Wolverine: 1,000 51 Wolf: numbers most likely around 1,000 to 2,000 animals Musk ox: only a few discrete populations along the Beaufort Sea coastal tundra range Caribou: 129,000 (porcupine herd) increasing! Moose: no numbers available Dall sheep: about 30,000 Birds: The number of birds breeding in the wilderness area is not known, but likely to be around 150, due to its diverse habitats. The eastern part of the wilderness area may include the possible breeding range of the globally critically endangered Eskimo Curlew, whose exact breeding location is not known. There are no other globally threatened or endemic species known to breed in the wilderness area. The Hudsonian Godwit is known to breed in the wilderness area. As do the Surfbird, the Buff- breasted Sandpiper and the Wandering Tattler, all of which have a significant proportion of their population in the wilderness area. Among the large predator birds, the Golden Eagle and the Gyrfalcon are still widespread. 9.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 134,233km/ an extremely high proportion (49.1%) of the area is protected in 4 sites, one of which is very large (see map). 9.5. Threats and future developments Despite the overall level of protection of the area, with almost 50% of the entire wilderness in some form of conservation designation, it is not at all free from threats of resource extraction. Due to the neighbouring oil drilling sites at Prudhoe and large still untouched oil and gas reserves along the Beaufort Sea, the general area and even the existing protected sites, namely the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, are threatened by oil and gas development with further road and pipeline constructions. Several pipelines are already planned. Two of them cutting the area, one along the Beaufort Sea to link with the existing sites in Prudhoe, the other linking exploration sites further West in Alaska with the Central Canadian pipeline in the Northwest Territories. There is ongoing mineral exploration in the area. Hence, the prospect of further oil and gas development is a considerable threat to the wilderness area. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. Shakelton, D.M. and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Caprinae Specialist Group (1997): Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, U.K. 390 + vii pp. 52 Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 53 vearwucritved eye ihwedht tA oath SH Jo aeftA (TROL 2 sodigT a Sains ais elt Ap ent warner, door) ati x ' re ieee ti 1 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 oe fae @ No. 9. North-Yukon wy Bee O WWF UNEP WCMC pron Mees See | PSK ~-.300. 35) | 400 Kilometers Legend Arctic boundary Protected Area, >= River (boundary or point location) 4 een ee LC Ee races S99 OF IUCN category la, Ib, II VAD, Binal aoe ee ee ager ==) [© other protected areas /\/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km ; | s/ Tracks / trails f winter roads <0 Internationally designated sites 4~/ Power transmission line z a (Area No 3) Ramsar (Wetlands) site a” Pipeline Non-Arctie land ELA World Heritage Site Compiled by Or |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Den tiga ps a2 eee a , pth AL eae & NNETOE ih a ‘ AMY ih ert No. 10. Gydan (Russia) 10.1. General description Although the Gydan wilderness area stretches over 574,468 km’, almost 2/3 of its area is outside the Arctic region as defined by WWF. It is very flat with no mountains, and the prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. For many years the region has been subject to oil and gas exploitation. Recent discoveries describe the entire Arctic part of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas fields. More than half of the region is doomed by oil of high quality and with the likelihood of further exploitation in the near future. Already today oil exploitation scarred the wilderness area by roads and pipelines. Further constructions (see map) are likely and already planned. Most of the area with more than 75% is covered by mountains habitat, but without any glaciers. Highest peak: (1454 m) 10.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, more than 80% of the Arctic part of the wilderness area is covered by tundra and 9% by forest tundra habitats. The prevailing vegetation is treeless sub- arctic tundra with shrubs. Lakes only comprise a small fraction with less than 1.6 % of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Arctic tundra 12.7 Northern subarctic tundra 49.0 Southern subarctic tundra 20.9 Forest tundra 8.8 Northern taiga 6.5 Taiga wetland 0.5 Lakes 1.6 10.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but very diverse and high compared with other regions in the Arctic. The number of rare endemic plant species is not high with 3 locations along the Yenisey River mouth, involving only one species: Artemisia samojedorum. Fauna: Mammals: The area is rich in large predators: Polar bear (> 100) Brown bear 300 - 400 Wolf 150 - 200 Wolverine (no figures available) Arctic and red fox (no figures available) Reindeer: no figures available Elk: 1,000-1,500 55 Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but comparatively slightly lower than on Taimyr and further east in Siberia. The wilderness area has no endemic birds, but three globally threatened species. Some of the Red-breasted Goose population, endemic to Central Siberia, breeds on the Gydan Peninsula. Further south in the forest tundra area Lesser White-fronted Geese can be found. Other globally threatened species include the White-tailed Eagle, considered at low risk, with still high numbers breeding in the area. A few pairs of White-billed Divers breed throughout the wilderness area in low numbers. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas due to human disturbance. 10.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With only 10,277 km’ of the area, which is only 5% of the Arctic part of wilderness area protected in 3 sites (see map), the wilderness area is not sufficiently protected at all. 10.5. Threats and future developments The threats to the area are deriving solely from oil and gas exploitation. A large proportion of the Russian oil and gas resources, including those of highest quality, is found in the area. Huge amounts have already been subject to current exploitation, but huge areas along the Yenisey and further north have not yet been exploited. There are currently eight gas drilling sites and a pipeline connected to Norilsk on Taimyr on the edge of the largest wilderness (North Siberia). Most of these sites are only connected by air and no roads have been built so far. The wilderness is very much exposed to further fragmentation (see map). A large network of roads already exists in the south of the area or is leaping into the wilderness area. Another new pipeline is planned to connect gas fields further north or even offshore (see map). The Gydan wilderness area will probably be split into two or three different areas in its northern Arctic part. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 56 The Yenisey river mouth and parts of the Gydan and Northern Siberia wilderness areas, in spring time; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA 57 VA Karty syeslheed ahh Yeo av yuitk Rao tiaaiy diary petal Xd y sabale phys ar jar SP a ee ag Bs VOM! Nine The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 10: Gydan (& {G) —— wwF UNEP WCMC Major threats: New pipeline project ie >: Hy YY Oil drilin Sh Z Z ie I Soe eae VI iy ; Gi. Wid Kilometers Mn Y, LLLPLL LPP PIPSSD DIP PLL DD PSLIDL GY SDSS SLD ALE. 70° 75° 80° 85° Legend Arctic boundary Protected Area, ~=__—i*River (boundary or point location) seus = Lake ES8883 O IUCN category la, Ib, II o HieSse sess [==] Snowfield / Glacier Fl alien protected areas “NZ, Railroad Distance from major = /N/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km } ; ; “os Tracks / trails / winter roads < 20 Internationally designated sites: Z~N/ Power transmission line 2 Ramsar (Wetlands) site seer 20 (Area No 10 oe” Pipeline al oie land Ez World Heritage Site Complled by Dr |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 LA ora ne No. 11. Yamal (Russia) 11.1. General description The Yamal wilderness, with its area of 94,741 km’, is entirely within the Arctic region as defined by WWF. It is very flat, with no mountains, and the prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. Oil and gas drilling are currently ongoing. Recent discoveries describe the southern parts of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas fields. More than half of the region holds oil resources of highest quality and with a strong possibility of further exploitation in the near future. Until today there has been oil and gas exploitation at two locations in the south of the wilderness area. The area is almost entirely structured by treeless tundra with more than 90% of it covered by lowland tundra habitats, a few lakes and a lot of wetlands, mostly tundra bogs. 11.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, more than 95% of the Arctic part of the wilderness area is covered by tundra habitats. The prevailing vegetation is treeless sub-arctic tundra with few bushes in its southern type. Lakes only cover a small fraction, with less than 3.4% of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Arctic tundra 26.3 Northern subarctic tundra 50.3 Southern subarctic tundra 20.0 Lakes 3.4 11.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known. Rare endemic plant species are only found just outside the wilderness in already disturbed and largely fragmented areas. Fauna: Mammals: The area is rich in large predators: Polar bear (> 100) Brown bear 300 - 400 Wolf 150 - 200 Wolverine (no figures available) Arctic and red fox (no figures available) Reindeer: no figures available Elk: 1,000-1,500 Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but slightly lower than in Taimyr and further East in Siberia. The area is inhabited by no endemic, but two globally threatened species, a few Lesser White-fronted Geese breeding in the southern tundra. Also a few pairs of the Red-breasted Goose are breeding in the area. The most recent estimate was about 50 pairs in 1995. Other globally threatened species include the White-tailed Eagle, considered at low risk, with still a few 59 breeding pairs in the area. A few pairs of White-billed Divers have bred in the wilderness area. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. Large birds have been documented to leave first heavily disturbed areas near oil and gas exploration, including swans and geese, falcons, divers, skuas, owls and certain waders. 11.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With only 12,761 km’, which is only 13.5% of the wilderness area protected in 3 sites (see map), the area is fairly well protected in size. But as already two of the five gas drilling sites are situated inside the protected area, the overall protection of the wilderness might not be sufficient to face the likely prospect of further oil and gas development. 11.5. Threats and future developments The threats to the Yamal wilderness area are dominated by oil and gas exploitation. A large proportion of the Russian oil and gas resources, including those of the highest quality, is deposited in more than half of the wilderness area. Large amounts have already been subject to current exploitation; huge areas in the North and East seem to be almost untouched, although according to other sources, there also is gas exploration near Drovanaya in the north and near Sabetta on the East coast. There are currently at least five, if not eleven gas drilling sites and a few gravel quarries. Vehicles crossing over the tundra have destroyed large parts of the area, and some areas were destroyed completely. After 1988, road construction and gravel tracks accompanied by off-road restrictions to vehicle use only in the winter allowed some of the tundra vegetation to recover. A recently constructed 250 km railway connecting Vorkuta with Ust Yuribey on the western edge (see map) cut off some of the formerly larger wilderness already. A road accompanies this railway with additional access facilities for hunters and poachers into the area. The wilderness is very much threatened by further fragmentation, due to further oil and gas development (see map). A network of roads exists in the south of the area, but the north of the wilderness area seems to be still reasonably untouched. But as rich resources in oil and gas have been found here as well, this part is also in danger of further fragmentation. Some gas drilling already took place, first tracks appeared and the subsequent steps will inevitably lead to further road construction and fragmentation. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Paskhalny, S.P (2000): Economic Development of the Yamal Peninsula and Issues of Bird Conservation. in Ebbinge, B.S. (eds). Heritage of the Russian Arctic: Research, Conservation and International Cooperation. Moscow. Ecopros Publ. 394-402pp. Paskhalny, S.P., Sosin, V.F. & V.G. Shtro (1995): Red-breasted Goose on Yamal: Distribution, Numbers, Reproduction of the Population. Carsca 1: 103-109 Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge, UNEP-WCMC Map Library 60 The mouth of the Obi river in Siberia, with parts of the Yamal peninsula and Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (to the west) wilderness areas; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA 61 Detail spring view of the Obi river in Northern Siberia, with southern part of the Yamal peninsula wilderness area; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 11: Yamal WWF UNEP WCMC Major threats: Mining Oil drilling Gas drilling 0 0 206 Cl Eh ee Arctic boundary Protected Area, River (boundary or point location) Lake ; C1 IUCN category la, Ib, II Snowfield / Glacier [58 [0 other protected areas Major cities Populated place Railroad Primary & secondary roads Tracks / trails / winter roads Power transmission line Pipeline Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Distance from major infrastructure features, km < 20 > 20 Gm > 20 (Area No 11) 4 Non-Arctic land Internationally designated sites: LIED. Ramsar (Wetlands) site IFA, World Heritage Site 16.4 =.” = 1v oF ‘ en Se a a PO MMiet, hulome yioh Ly Yymanet-2 vi att evictions beep wit Te Basser Wivito-lve mrad © on Berio fen aot tv, Las Pings \ddbeaagindiageneie pepe) eh aes UD Mere er Dae, ee ebsites Ter Y he Whiteutted “0 Tetht wide tll bys y bt wy apts 2 i Tied HPUDO A sew } waren ten aires q ‘int WW bai peagayaberA Se el Sarat Ah ! oN ary Say SU ee ee licen aooneeislaien Stites yhidTiS ot allinb oeoiged aban baens ehlod an bins boo! dan a TIA aacvertobit7 oi) to ehqamediupe ts, PATEL ADI horn Bho vblod priiged adh ta { fy em ithe bru gosto hysoes to tal ¢ brn att wl tore eveloginenty | Te yeeenaan deicleg NORE a Sek ioe ri: art SSA ives ere Ea ell pe ali a Sass ete er bee! peat ng ys Pi ae \inhammaesidtens hitie es tgs: b gorcaeat he : Peed TT ad PAV ering IC me b dildee oan nn ae he aan Sa ad AM ae : ‘ é a ’ im ‘ i “a 63 iG en (oe a eS 2% No. 12. Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (Russia) 12.1. General description Most of the Bolshemelskaya wilderness, with 94,138 km? of the area, is part of the Arctic region as defined by WWF. Almost 10% of its area is outside the Arctic region. With a total of 103,072 km”, the wilderness area is the largest in Europe. It is very flat, with hardly any mountains. The prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. Exploration drills are currently ongoing. Recent discoveries describe the southern parts of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas fields and coal mines. More than half of the region holds oil resources of medium quality and with a slight likelihood of further exploitation in the future. Until today there has been oil and gas exploitation at two locations in the south in the wilderness area. The area is almost entirely structured by treeless tundra, with more than 80% of it covered by lowland tundra habitats, a few lakes and a lot of wetlands, mostly tundra bogs. 12.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, more than 80% of the Arctic part of the wilderness area is covered by tundra, and 7% by forest tundra habitats. The prevailing vegetation is treeless sub- arctic tundra with few shrubs. A few mountains leap from the Ural Mountains into the area, but they do not cover more than 2.2% of the area. Lakes only cover a small fraction, with less than 1% of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Arctic tundra 2.0 Northern subarctic tundra 19.8 Southern subarctic tundra 67.7 Mountain tundra 2.2 Forest tundra 7.2 Lakes 0.9 12.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known. Rare endemic plant species are only found just outside the wilderness in already disturbed and largely fragmented areas. Fauna: Mammals: The area is rich in large predators: Polar bear (> 100) Brown bear 2,000 —2,500 Wolf 300 — 600 (increasing) Wolverine (no figures available) Arctic and red fox (no figures available) Reindeer: 3,500 EIk: estimated at 10,000 -15,000 Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but comparatively slightly lower than on Taimyr and further east in Siberia. The area has 64 no endemic, but one globally threatened species, breeding in the forest tundra area: the Lesser White-fronted Goose. The wilderness area holds one of the largest groups of the western population and the largest in Europe. Other globally threatened species include the White-tailed Eagle, considered at low risk, with still high numbers breeding in the area. With the Vaygakh Island, the wilderness also hosts a large proportion of the Russian Barnacle Goose population. White-billed Divers breed throughout the wilderness area in a few pairs. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. 12.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With only 2,105 km’, which is only 2.2% of the wilderness area protected by only 1 site (see map), the area is hardly protected at all and very likely facing further fragmentation. 12.5. Threats and future developments The threats to the area are deriving from oil and gas exploitation, but in this area the threat of coal mining is more important. Oil resources of medium quality are found in more than half of the region. There are two drill locations at present and there is a slight likelihood of further exploitation in the future. The wilderness is very much endangered by further fragmentation (see map). A large network of winter roads already exists in the the Bolshemelskaya wilderness area. Some of the roads, such as between Naryan mar and Vorkuta, might be built into summer roads and will quite likely split the area into two, cutting off the southern part. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 65 The Obi river, with Bolshezemelskaya Tundra and Yamal peninsula wilderness areas in the summer; The Ural Mountains are also visible; Terra/MODIS sensor; © 2000 - NASA 66 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 ® to 1 No. 12: Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (S A ) WWF UNEP WCMC ‘- eae Ets ae ey Major threats: Mining A Oil drilling A Gas drilling Legend Arctic boundary Protected Area, ’ ae ~ = River (boundary or point location) fe) Major cities 333s Lake E83 [1 IUCN category la, Ib, Il ) Populated place Snowfield / Glacier 1 other protected areas “4 Railroad Distance from major *i /~N/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km : ; \ “s_ Tracks / trails / winter roads < 20 Internationally designated sites: Ease? / winter Se! ZN/ Power transmission line > 20 (Area No 12) ose LEZ Ramsar (Wetlands) site aa NES Le @- Non-Arctic land zi World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, OUNEP-WCMC, 2001 fipesigy ix Vereti ties “’ Cognit? 3929404 vane Bi hit Ort ur for’ the Miwxk « reer eocenenpe Sevcingr arn wen hai shit Viceedis BA limber ur ws provid Waal aii = = renee ne deel Ailey Leta Sew as eer wont t ‘ wana aes aco ie ; Te rn aw ge HA ond) obi cet! zail “mad " " | aadervobitiw site bins eginT anthees> lssiet> ogial sdf ol deals wre o: olin of ag. Fe arent WwiLA Ahern ae tcHowey welt Dace od bore view gi been tia Wats if , ai a ms nee, mere ‘ates fdas - lao, R41 ony Briw i LAY? Arolty Pore Well Fama Helviak » BiH, dP. Minisers Caw aaa om vi aMi-2 ai yy ann soabahit NS (ys AY , ‘| a ane woo lectin as tenes a wot Me Pen ie pee th S) adil : No. 13. Muskwa/Slave Lake Forests (Canada) 13.1. General Description The wilderness area covers 95,329 km’ in total, slightly less of which, namely 89,324 km?’ lies inside the Arctic region as defined by WWF. The site is very close to the large Central Canadian Taiga and Tundra wilderness area, and is only separated by a road that parallels the Mackenzie River flowing west from Great Slave Lake. 13.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The wilderness area is largely characterised by taiga and mostly by its southern type. The prevailing vegetation is boreal forest with interspersed bogs, lakes and other wetlands. Lakes only cover a small fraction with 2.8% of the area. Northern taiga 5.5 Middle taiga 0.1 Southern taiga 91.6 Lakes 2.8 13.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species and the number of rare endemic species are not known. Fauna: Mammals: Brown bear: no numbers available Wolverine: no numbers available Wolf: no numbers available Moose: no numbers available Birds: The number of birds breeding in the wilderness area is not known, but likely to be higher than the average Arctic site, due to its southern, more forested components. The site is very close to the famous Wood Buffalo National Park, where the last remaining wild pairs of the critically endangered Whooping Cranes are breeding. An expansion of the population into the adjacent wilderness area is quite likely and should not be hampered by further fragmentation. Among the large predator birds the Golden Eagle is known in the area. There are no globally threatened or endemic species known to breed in the wilderness area. 13.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas Only a small fraction of 18 km’, which is only 0.02% of the area is protected by 1 site (see map). 13.5. Threats and future developments The area is currently experiencing significant hydrocarbon exploration, including drilling and timber removal as a result of seismic activity. Although commercial 68 forestry is limited to a few permits and leases, the threat of logging expansion exists for the Muskwa forests as elsewhere in the northern boreal. The unprotected status might encourage development plans in the area for exploiting natural resources such as timber or to provide access for tourism. One road leaping into the area from the south and eight winter roads or tracks might be converted into permanent road structures. Sources: Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238 Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 69 ‘adel HERANAe nb sur wind bere eeyp a A IAT: asa | vane) qubéyh A 2 gD. “The onthe hea netysp nbaacay ene 2alet ARR 20 Northaln Adige 2 . Mindia tiga im ages 5 Souther wigs. ge i. : Lakes -- St, arg a | eo ri tha, Pepactned Frune “ore = ae Tween bene CL eee vane ai : ° rr a Wolvecte- wae: ors aeraltabte fe ae jae oo a atanie, : oS Par: : = ae Whew: wo mre i N = aoe: thir tw Tha snes of bind: wren: 0 We bpldeepiaa in ie Magen, Ge th ite ne el ae ee vo pate. are airaeed ten 2 Thay 7 Sine athe Gone ae Weest ~ Neb iy'yo! doko st gentiiad Ve Thoth. od eugene DOs wel 4 on hatin el cues the» 3 gaa: bstownqau od .lessud modo ont ni crotbroals 20 atone) mw dani) ortt 10} 2 oO ite ee at gnitipigzs tol saan sth nt ankig Iramqolyvel seaioo me petgtnes 20 (Area No 3) Non-Arctic land E===] Snowfield / Glacier < 20 > 20 Arctic boundary River Distance fram ma = ae] ake Tracks / trails / winter roads 4~/ Power transmission line oy” Pipeline Populated place Oo oO A Railroad Major cities — O O NA — ® 1) > Oo = O — - oO aS ~ = 0) (4) i) = @ xe) 1) ~— S oO iS dD) 14) — uw c = Ww U) 0) dD) = 14) — uy N i) LS ‘a No.13: Muskwa/Slave Lake Forests ’ X Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, SUNEP-WCMC, 2001 “NZ Primary & secondary roads © AO ae co a ty aA belnargein reap fo on | No. 14. Southern Labrador (Canada) 14.1. General Description The wilderness area comprises 171,190 km”, of which less than half (84,255 km’) lies within the Arctic region as defined by WWF. The site is delimited to the south by the St. Lawrence River and dominated mostly by boreal forest. 14.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The wilderness area is characterised by taiga biomes in almost 70%. The prevailing vegetation is the middle taiga with more than 37%. Lakes comprise 5.6% of the area. Southern subarctic tundra 6.0 Forest tundra 20.5 Northern taiga 30.7 Middle taiga 37.2 Lakes 5.6 14.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, and no rare endemic Arctic plant species are known in the area. Fauna: Mammals: Black bears have migrated north into the tundra habitats in the absence of polar bears. Brown bear: no figures available Wolverine: no figures available Wolf: numbers most likely around 1,000 to 2,000 animals Caribou: woodland caribou (Red Wine and Mealy Mountain herds), no numbers available Moose: no numbers available Birds: The number of birds breeding in the wilderness area is not known, but likely to be higher than the average Arctic site, due to the large proportion of taiga components. The area is rich in species ranging from southern boreal forest species, such as seven woodpecker species, to high Arctic ducks. In the south, outside the Arctic region the wilderness touches upon the breeding range of the Piping Plover, a species considered vulnerable among the globally threatened birds. Among the large predator birds, the Golden Eagle is still widespread. There are no globally threatened or endemic species known to breed in the wilderness area. 14.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas There are no protected areas in the Arctic part of the wilderness at all! 71 14.5. Threats and future developments Expansion of hydropower development in the western part of the wilderness threatens remaining caribou herds already impacted by the existing hydro development along the Churchill River. There are no other threats known to the area. Sources: Cluff, H.D. Wolves in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 234-235. Gau, R. (2001): Brown Bear in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 238. Gau, R. & R. Mulders (2001): Wolverine in Arctic Flora and Fauna in CAFF Helsinki p: 236-237. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Gunn, A. (2001): Muskoxen in CAFF Arctic Flora and Fauna. in Helsinki page: 240- 241. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 1 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 14: Southern Labrador (os WWE VO i wate Se i a Legend “Arctic boundary Protected Area, >a => River (boundary or point location) = Maleicities Lake SSS 11 ICN category la, Ib, I ¥ Populated place ==) Snowfield / Glacier CO other protected areas os/ Railroad Distance from major 4/4 Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km ao wo \-7 Tracks / trails f winter roads < 20 Internationally designated sites: “~~ Power transmission line oat (Area No 14) Rarnsar (Wetlands) site oy Pipeline Non-Arctic land LIED World Heritage Site Compiled by Or |. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 A bein enpeinUlgegia.l 6S ofT. ; Py ome ye Po ahs clgaok, manent tay eg { : Afi) Fae 4 ben hig es iw fe APC net ‘i PUL RMSE Oy wy (tlare ret ehapeS a yercites Bi visi : ve y ef atiise? M movgriseb lmao) EAI , graben Caer S hu) ond a bhin “ted Se al 6 fivetad ifs nyt are os peter OH porte exorry: as pa € ders ie 3 Isat, iM vo Lreohyea at peiea, wy te Soe orwty ti «Mlnbowiidil Vi, CO i re, SN ie, Saved Ale eoambllign teens vont Inout i rhea deus filped: betes | cuetvint thiset Malia hig iiee (heen petoupt led mi et ce Cale NOR ian din aie Vatnt aceon mm OVE cael tin on 5 Svinte : ; iach ie alia ae Dy) dis of A801 aero Beirp somiotd ick GiateeiBraD ares with. ; te Stage . offshore deitiing will ree Du = IS ee y yalos Be -- a £.tTt aronu! AINA . ee 0.06 MH MAL. CABww, Hi, Payee ae Halos SO ten esr ae WeRlippen Mc 114 Abs a lagi The Ma: Ait oi ag anita a wuieh 8 Siete hidden: Lie al brs 28 tii acini stan ol “ cs sie oat! . Ot Bas I " ine mich i wy en rare p Pan as iy Saye TT eae init Ne iT , LP ) ws he ' J rape she ‘i ic. Ru ’ x {a Por No. 15. Novaya Zemlya (Russia) 15.1. General description The area consists of two large islands covering 78,971 km’ in total. It is the third largest wilderness area in Europe. As high Arctic islands, a large proportion of the area is covered by ice. Highest peak: 1342 m (Stolbovoy) 15.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones As a large proportion of the land mass is covered by ice, only a very small part of the area is vegetated. The area is divided in biomes as follows ( %): Polar desert 12.2 Arctic tundra 11.3 Mountain tundra 40.0 Glaciers 35.9 Lakes 0.6 15.3. Flora and Fauna Flora: The total number of plant species is not known. None of the globally threatened or rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic have been recorded on Novaya Zemlya. Fauna: Novaya Zemlya is in the high Arctic and hence not very rich in biodiversity. Some selected taxa are listed. The total number of species is unknown; the number of breeding birds is about 36. Mammals: Only arctic wolf and fox, reindeer, arctic hare and polar bear are among the major mammals on the islands. Polar bear The area around Novaya Zemlya is holding one of the largest populations of polar bears, with 2,500 to 3,500 animals. Wolf: no figures available Wolverine (no figures available) Arctic fox (no figures available) Reindeer: 3,500 Birds: Most famous are the sea bird colonies. The most common bird is the Brunnich’s Guillemot. With 850,000 breeding pairs, Novaya Zemlya hosts about 6% of the global population. Other important sea bird colonies include the Little Auk with 30,000 to 50,000 pairs in one colony. The large majority of the Russian Barnacle Goose population estimated to be 260,000 pairs is located on the South Island of Novaya Zemlya. There are no globally threatened or rare endemic species in the wilderness area. 74 A few White-billed Divers breed on the South Island. The birds require large undisturbed territories. Although they are not threatened at present, there has been a drop in the population size in many areas with human disturbance. 15.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas There is no protected area on Novaya Zemlya today. 15.5. Threats and future developments Among a series of identified threats to biodiversity on Novaya Zemlya, such as fisheries, oil, other pollutants, disturbance, and area encroachment have been described with a rather high index as a current threat and even higher for a potential threat compared to other mentioned threat types. The index though is still lower than in adjacent areas, even smaller than on Svalbard. Big oil fields have been discovered around the islands offshore east and west. West of the islands they are of high and partly even of highest quality and very likely to be exploited at some stage. The offshore drilling will imply further encroachment along the shore with additional risk of fragmentation. Sources: Anker — Nilssen, T., Bakken, V., Strgm, H., Golovkin, A.N., Bianki, V.V. & LP. Tatarinkova 2000: The Status of Marine Birds Breeding in the Barents Sea Region. Norsk Polarinstitutt Rapport Nr. 113. Tromsg. 213p Hagemeijer & Blair (1997): The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Bird. Poyser London. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. WCMC Map Library Novaya Zemlya wilderness area as seen from space; Terra/MODIS sensor; © - NASA 76 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 15: Novaya Zemlya (S (oy) WWF UNEP WCMC ne 75° 73° 7° ayy : Legend \_/ Arctic boundary Protected Area, i > => River (boundary or point location) fo) Major cities Lake FSSS83 C1 IUCN cat t egory la, Ib, Il S neice ec oes =] Snowfield / Glacier ESSN [J other protected areas ilroa ; ; ‘ J “VY Distance from major 7\N/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km ’ : Try: ws. Tracks / trails / winter roads > <20 Internationally designated sites: UNG Power transmission line aa z = (Area No 15) Ce) Ramsar (Wetlands) site oe” Pipeline % Non-Arctic land IE: World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 A bainengstintt ep 2S oil: ria eyeVOM ah .o [> urged ‘let asain sii PULMN Wp tvokie) |.) hn f eo Bin ee on oe We Bint = iis . | erate ally ra wheat oF Peder: mageonts te NE HRA (ed bai) aie Ae ‘ht phe i tk ‘ vhy ere weak aif 40 g aa onl ner ai catig at, iV vr ian itor dl wheats RRC PNR a5 -Pdiee4 PMMA ie Sip be erent sat et Ye BD | U bu 4 o te wg ot r Pi | ” or ogi ; j ha dat i oe ¥ oF teen i u a ye Le v7 y ht ! * 4 { ~ = f :, 4 a if a al Wy vi ri ~ } No. 16. St. Elias (Alaska/Canada) 16.1. General Description The wilderness area comprises 99,638 km‘ in total, of which only 70% with 77,136 km‘ lie inside the Arctic region as defined by WWF. The site is on the southeastern edge of Alaska on the pacific coast, shared by two countries, Alaska and Canada almost to equal halves with slightly larger parts in Alaska. The area is very mountainous and includes Canada's highest mountain, Mount Logan (5,950m), and one of the world's largest non-polar ice field systems (Bagley ice field). 16.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The wilderness area is almost entirely characterised by mountains and mostly by mountain tundra with little vegetation, barren ground or glaciers. The prevailing vegetation is mountain boreal forest with interspersed bogs, lakes and other wetlands. The amount of glaciers is fairly large, with almost 10%. Lakes only cover a small fraction of 0.8% of the area. Southern subarctic tundra 0.1 Mountain tundra 70.1 Northern taiga Voll Mountain taiga 18.5 Glaciers 9.4 Lakes 0.8 16.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species and the number of rare endemic Arctic species is not known. Unique plants include Aster yukonensis, a Picea/Hypnum community, Artemisia fuscala and Artemisia rupestris-Oxytropis viscida Fauna: Mammals: Although the vegetation may seem sparse, especially in the interior, the wilderness area contains a large variety of wildlife, also partly due to its southern location and its diverse structure. 29 mammals have been recorded in the wilderness area. Carnivores include coyote Canis latrans, wolf Canis lupus (V), red fox Vulpes fulva, the globally threatened wolverine Gulo gulo, river otter Lutra canadensis, lynx Lynx canadensis and the more easily visible brown bear Ursus arctos (apparently the largest protected population in the world, of 600 individuals) and black bear U. americanus. A rare bluish colour phase of the black bear known locally as the glacier bear, is centred in the vicinity of Yakutat in the south of the wilderness area, just outside the Arctic boundary. Other mammals include pika Ochotona collaris and snowshoe hare Lepus americanus, arctic ground squirrel Citellus parryi and beaver Castor canadensis. Rodents include the hoary marmot Marmota calligata. Moose Alces alces and caribou Rangifer arcticus range in lower elevations 78 and mountain goat Oreamnos americana and Dall sheep Ovis dalli (> 200) occupy high mountainous areas. Bison Bison bison was introduced in 1950 and again in 1962. Black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus may occur along coastal fringes. Birds: The number of birds recorded in the wilderness area is relatively high with more than 210. The species include the globally threatened marbled murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus. There are also Brewer's sparrow Spizella breweri, Smith's longspur Calcarius pictus, golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos, trumpeter swan Cygnus buccinatus, peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus, bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus, gyr falcon Falco rusticolus, and a large variety of owls, but also more southern species such as the bluebird are nesting in the area. Among the breeding wader species the almost- endemic species, such as Surfbird, Wandering Tattler and Black Turnstone are breeding here in considerable numbers. The Copper River drainage and the Malaspina forelands are major flyways for migratory birds and include prime nesting sites for trumpeter swans. Fish All five species of Alaskan Pacific salmon including red salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, chum O. keta, silver salmon O. kisutch, pink salmon O. gorbuscha and king salmon O. shawytscha spawn in park or preserve waters. Freshwater fish species include Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma, lake trout S. namaycush, steelhead Salmo gairdneri, cutthroat trout S. clarki, arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus, burbot Lota lota, round whitefish Prosopium cylindraceum and humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian 16.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas The major part of the wilderness area is protected by one large site, which is also a World Heritage site, covering 65,562 km’, which is 85% and the highest value among all the wilderness areas in the Arctic (see map). The world heritage site consists of four protected areas: The Kluane National Park: 2,201,568 ha, the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park: 3,382,014 ha, the Wrangell-St. Elias Reserve: 1,962,115 ha and the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness: 958,000 ha. The wilderness area also covers parts of the Glacier Bay National Park with 1,312,424 ha. 16.5. Threats and future developments There are no threats known to the area. The highly protected status of the reserve seems to ensure protection from further development. Tourism is the major source of income and the only track visible in the area between Chitima and McCarthy is heavily used but not likely to be converted into a proper road. Sources: Douglas Ecological Consultants Ltd. (1980): Biophysical Inventory Studies of Kluane National Park. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Parks Canada (1980): Kluane National Park Management Plan. 79 Shakelton, D.M. and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Caprinae Specialist Group (1997): Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, U.K. 390 + vii pp. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge 80 No. 16: St. Elias/Kluane The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 UNEP WCMC ARR ra-cioe di oS r a4 Major cities Populated place Railroad Primary & secondary roads Tracks / trails / winter roads Power transmission line Pipeline Kilometers Arctic boundary River Lake Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major infrastructure features, krn < 20 > 20 > 20 (Area No 16) Non-Arctic land Compiled by Or |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Protected Area, f (boundary or point location) S989 [| IUCN category la, Ib, II ES «62 soother protected areas Internationally designated sites EZZA Ramsar (VVetlands) site World Heritage Site 7 teary rs he iA Beetle tie 2 Vt * i | Ava I 4 sof ate: ' e pos ti a £0 ele k ONT t be ae 1” co ? ie ; | a u iN ‘i ; | | oy : a a me ve | } — 7 7 ak | —_ Ns ~ No. 17. Svalbard (Norway) 17.1. General description The Svalbard wilderness area is about 60,229 km”, the largest wilderness area in Western Europe. It consist of two major islands, several medium sized and numerous smaller islands. A very long coastline and a strong marine influence characterises most of the life of the wilderness area. The majority of about 60% of the land consists of ice and glaciers covering a mountainous landscape. The highest peaks on Svalbard are Newtontoppen and Perriertoppen. Both are 1717 meters above sea level. 17.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones As the majority (over 56%) of the land mass is covered by ice and more than 20% of it is polar desert, only a very small part of the area is vegetated. The prevailing vegetation is lowland and mountain tundra with moss-sedge tundra components and very little bush vegetation, such as the stunted Arctic willow and dwarf birch. Proportion of biomes: Polar desert 20.3 Mountain tundra 23.3 Glaciers 56.1 Lakes 0.2 17.3. Flora and Fauna Flora: There are about 165 species recorded and 3 locations known of rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic, all of them on the main island, involving tow species: Pucinellia svalbardensis Ranunculus vilanderi. Fauna: Mammals: eight terrestrial species, including the partly marine Polar bear: 5,000-6,000 Arctic fox: no figures available Svalbard reindeer: 8,000 Additionally musk ox, arctic and mountain hare have been introduced, but did not establish populations. Other mammals include sibling vole Microtus epiroticus and possibly M. arvalis. Birds: 164 species have been recorded, of which 30 species breed on the archipelago. Apart of the large seabird colonies defined to coastal areas, the area hosts several 82 goose, duck and wader populations. The Pink-footed Goose has increased its population by today to 37,000 and the Barnacle Goose to almost 24,000 birds. 17.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 36,768 km’, more than 68% of the wilderness area is protected in 25 protected sites, including 5 Ramsar sites (see map). It is the third best-protected wilderness area in the Arctic. ; 17.5. Threats and future developments Among a series of identified threats to biodiversity on Svalbard, such as fisheries, oil, other pollutants, disturbance and area encroachment, oil pollution being currently the major threat. Fragmentation and oil pollution might be an even higher potential threat in comparison with other mentioned threat types. Also disturbance, mainly through tourism has been recognised with an increasing tendency. The most immediate threat in terms of fragmentation are the planned roads between Longyearbyen and Sveagruva and another one between Barentsburg and Coles Bay, along the southern coast of Isfjorden. Sources: Anker — Nilssen, T., Bakken, V., Strm, H., Golovkin, A.N., Bianki, V.V. & IP. Tatarinkova 2000: The Status of Marine Birds Breeding in the Barents Sea Region. Norsk Polarinstitutt Rapport Nr. 113. Troms¢g. 213p Mehlum (1990): Birds and Mammals of Svalbard Hagemeijer & Blair (1997) : The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Bird. UNEP-WCMC Map Library 83 © - NASA ’ The Svalbard archipelago wilderness, April 20" 2000; Terra/MODIS sensor 84 Oo Oo N fe, 14) ®O > Oo ~ oO = E~ ® ¢€ — = WV) 14) ®O | x Te} ®O at ‘= ® = 0D) (49) Sas a (= =) ~Y WV) ®o [@>) = [40 I ite N ® cles Kk No. 17: Svalbard i i } ci jl. oe GE Selo a Barentsbui 1 E SS i Major threats: N construction Road 100 125 150 Kilometers a @ rea o @ is Zz oO 2 Oo 7 G L = = a=] = oO a 2 4 £ o Q — a ij 3 (= ey (=) 2 = S wo 2 = River [==] Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major 7 eal Lake Populated place Major cities Railroad Le) ° “SS (© other protected areas “4 Ramsar (VVetlands) site World Heritage Site Internationally designated sites: EZZZA KZ > 20 (Area No 17) Non-Arctic land infrastructure features, km < 20 > 20 s..7 Tracks / trails / winter roads ~~ Power transmission line ” Pipeline Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 JN / Primary & secondary roads Reamer TTT te (uiltd Foal ‘a brcetiiag fas tha Hew fibre) sata wel yatutty Oa Aor LE Rgie cin) Portege Pin ol et a Ltr Ben el a #06 Oso brertiing e pity fle jee es “i. ie sinner i i me gees ue ee se hpaee as 4 sy) Wo GL . eitnur sitetnsedeta vA enejizritsioby #4 a sitobt 20s a de snergog arb wae grit ets urea pou AB. A byt et a tag mest nut Biot: Pe sg ere Oh esate il? iy a aie bd tn Nay eH eS ‘ ithe. My iP sant. © SOUP rid v Avonitevon Perr soars iv No. 18. Sordoginskiy Mountains (Russia) 18.1. General description The Sodorginskiy Mountains wilderness, with 55,292 km’, is almost entirely within the Arctic region as defined by WWF, located north of the Lower Aldan River, before its joining the Lena River. It is very flat, with no mountains, and the prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. Oil and gas drilling is currently ongoing. Recent discoveries describe the southern parts of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas fields. More than half of the region is deposited by oil resources of highest quality and with a strong possibility of further exploitation in the near future. Until today there has been oil and gas exploitation at two locations in the south of the wilderness area. The area is almost entirely structured by treeless tundra with more than 90% covered by lowland tundra habitats, a few lakes and a lot of wetlands, mostly as tundra bogs. 18.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, more than 90% of the wilderness area is mountainous. The prevailing vegetation is mountain taiga. Floodplain vegetation can be found along the Aldan River. Lakes only cover a very small fraction with 0.4% of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Mountain tundra 35.3 Middle taiga 5.2 Mountain taiga 58.0 Flood-plain vegetation of taiga 1.1 Lakes 0.4 18.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but could be quite high, owing to the high diversity of mixed mountain and floodplain habitats. Rare endemic plant species are not known in the area. Fauna: Mammals: Brown bear: no numbers known, possibly 300 - 400 Wolf: no figures available Wolverine: no figures available Red fox: (no figures available) Elk: no figures available, most likely more than 5,000 animals Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but comparatively slightly higher than in the average Arctic sites due to its southern location in Siberia. The area is little surveyed and most likely is not inhabited by any known endemic species. Among the globally threatened species, the Baikal Teal is 86 breeding in the lowland area. Other globally threatened species include the White- tailed Eagle, considered at low risk with still a few breeding pairs in the area. Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, predator birds, which require large undisturbed areas, are also breeding in the area. 18.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 21,487 km’, which is 39.1% of the wilderness area, the site is well protected in 6 sites (see map). 18.5. Threats and future developments Some oil and gas resources have been discovered in the very southern part of the area. In addition, large deposits of coal have been discovered in the southern part near the Aldan River. All of this is not being exploited today, but roads from the south have connected some of the settlements in the centre of the wilderness. It is to hope that these roads will not be expanded to reach more southerly settlements. Two large protected areas (Tukulan and Prialdansky Zakasnik) do currently prevent any further road construction. No information on other minerals is available, but gold has been found directly adjacent to the southeastern part of the area. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 87 ss : () hey ti 98 Be onl lariat gegen ah ett eres hoatwol of) a aiibornt . WabIOT! wom oth of ering grtbeotd wal o Hien Sah wor Te bergbieoo olga beliad peers by nent hoy gyal snips doidw: void ‘eunabeng need anisgyexd bas olf .. ~ em ont ui gailbernet one me ; ' Wits ayy OM vende 1 wildesne 5, WHS a Uk eas defined by Be. bei shen et hase g Bae. Vow zi: aati eth Th) i 10,0 ey a by sab-arntie: tinea, me oa eae ie > onyaltiyy (aes? diveawertion kaart ‘he souaten . | pid wi di clih, PApae a shoal. Se cae IN ama hoa te Ataf epee r: | Sanity hand 7 wala tease G1 Yano ‘atio “e The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 18: Sordoginskiy Mountains (S {%) wwF UNEP WCMC 133° x - eMeyie— ; {Suordakh : & br 4-Otto a Yunkyur Pf K cs sera iva if ox 7) ees ( | ee) Vy u sagan-O OK) ( j] ee ydakn Legend Arctic boundary Protected Area, ; >a a River (boundary or point location) pf ns OA nn C1 Lake ; [1 IUCN category la, Ib, II Pes, Seema P [==] Snowfield / Glacier FH] other protected areas : Distance from major /\N/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km d : , vo Tracks / trails / winter roads < 20 Internationally designated sites: . . . > 2 y . UG. ae transmission line mums > 20 (Area No 18) SELLA Ramsar (Wetlands) site oe” «Pipeline 7] Non-Arctic land j World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 A beinamperinl tesgrel af af ; entsinvoml yt amano :Bf ofl * ae ” ng YEP eg een ive, £ No. 19. Kola Peninsula (Russia) 19.1. General description The Kola Peninsula wilderness, with 47,231 km”, is entirely within the Arctic region as defined by WWF. It is gently hilly, but with no mountains, and the prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. Oil and gas drilling are currently ongoing. Recent discoveries describe the southern parts of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas fields. More than half of the region holds by oil resources of highest quality and with a strong possibility of further exploitation in the near future. Until today there has been oil and gas exploitation at two locations in the south of the wilderness area. 19.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, more than 60% of the wilderness area is mountainous. The prevailing vegetation is tundra with a large proportion, 30% taiga. Lakes only cover 2.7% of the area. The area is divided in biomes as follows: Southern subarctic tundra 38.0 Coastal tundra 27.9 Northern taiga 31.3 Lakes 2.7 19.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but could be quite high owing to the high diversity of mixed mountain and floodplain habitats. Rare endemic Arctic plant species are not known from the area. Fauna: Mammals: Brown bear: no numbers known, possibly 300 - 400 Wolf: no figures available Wolverine: common, but no figures available Arctic and Red fox: (no figures available) Elk: no figures available, most likely more than 2,000 animals Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but comparatively slightly higher than the average Arctic site, due to its southern location in Siberia. The area is little surveyed and most likely is not inhabited by any known endemic species. The White-tailed Eagle is the only globally threatened species breeding in the area., considered at low risk with still a few breeding pairs in the area, but no numbers are available. Golden eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Gyrfalcon, predator birds, which require large undisturbed areas, are also breeding in the area. The latter is known to have a stronghold particularly in the northern half of the Kola Peninsula. 89 19.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With 5,415 km’, which is 11.5% of the wilderness area, the site is moderately protected by 2 sites only (see map). 19.5. Threats and future developments The Kola Peninsula has been heavily affected by Nickel smelters, Nuclear Power and waste plants. Other mineral extractions involve copper, cadmium, tin among others, but it seems that the eastern part of the Peninsula will continue to be unaffected. As far as we know, there is no oil or gas and no further coal deposits known to be exploited. The are also few winter roads in the area, although one surrounding the entire area along the coast is reason for concern. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 90 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No 19: Kola (SMC) L WWF UNEP WCMC gTersko-Orlovskaya Sire : 100 125 | 150 175 200 225) 250 Kilometers 34° 36° 38° 40° 42° Legend Arctic boundary Protected Area, ; ~= River (boundary or point location) 2 ee ES Lake 1 IUCN category Ia, Ib, II Populated place [==3 Snowfield / Glacier =] other protected areas AZ Railroad 3 z ia 3 Distance from major 7\/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km ; : : “os Tracks / trails / winter roads <20 Internationally designated sites: /\/ Power transmission line eet z ot (Area No 19) SILLA Ramsar (Wetlands) site oe" Pipeline @ Non-Arctic land World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, QOUNEP-WCMC, 2001 OE ortt ri 28 ava \batnemgatin apn as ot ag inva su A le aE on f a eae : fe oles Arne Pmt oy ay ee = \ , ? ; ‘ 4 a ‘ / 4 , wey Hoe “ent Sm ti! Y 0 tne Fada . ,, acd. aan, ere isin t b re : ie a’ — ao - Pee . 7 an — ar us ames al ee tuam re acer es i. ere Ka 7 ; o 7 beni 2 me pute al \ a a ein o~ : - , Arua Wine Deceit wi Yee baa toe Ay) teenage? aight achin Bieri | ena Wanderltay Fateler are breeding bens uly miye rare pe noligiaes fayene) 1” Wana Shrsbtseli ShnarrALLiW went Freee BOD gonte fno2 pers Reomabliw oT Daly Rade Me aiteR V2 smi 4e itn Yun} Bele 8 Bile Wt Sie ee noiger Bini bereaol ynisd racy wigre! oct sttiw otia oc) surfs eban’ bow: ton A eOhOWOS yD! 20,5, -"Pweguts svnnel tater evel ypamersia . shana? lg ihe aren : ie vibeha nase Ww salt tether rita and roach ‘ ideveloptieint, Thoce is as; active eee Mice Mine ia Teaey lecations at neon hin wnibioumen yd boars ead tn nn a one — ott. (fi edT sobiit Sr7m—tue abit 5 daw geile aye Fit i phesonaiig Beko WAibeiGed iil vayfeos Spot pane f na ge ane fated the dpe “ts ot GRETA, alata! Asi Witd Sheep ast Chote iid 7 nym wey Stacie avn G ea Than ay ae BICN, Pane pe onrnt cage a | en inmivaetihde: he ala tre a gy amen . ot an i : ao aan, a a ‘ bak mid Yi We cirhay yd hidaied So ial. Sealed yi ety ay j we . RF ‘ a Ta ssa : No. 20. Yukon Alpine Tundra (Alaska/Canada) 20.1. General Description The wilderness area comprises 47,082 km’. The entire wilderness is inside the Arctic region as defined by WWE and is situated just north of the St. Elias wilderness. Two countries, Alaska and Canada share the site with the larger part being located in Canada. 20.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The wilderness area is almost entirely characterised by mountains and mostly by mountain taiga with sparse vegetation and a little sub-arctic tundra. The prevailing vegetation is mountain boreal forest with interspersed bogs, lakes and other wetlands. Lakes only cover a small fraction, a few percents of the area. Southern subarctic tundra 4.7 Mountain tundra 16.3 Mountain taiga 77.9 Lakes 1.1 20.3. Flora and Fauna The flora and fauna is not described or documented, but due to its closeness, it should be very similar to the one in St. Elias, which has been described in detail. Located slightly further to the north, the site might have a little less diverse flora and fauna, also due to the lack of the pacific coast appearance. The information on biodiversity is sparse because the area is more boreal and the researchers would need to extend the research scope. Flora The number of plant species and the number of rare endemic Arctic species is not known. Unique plants are also unknown, but the flora seems to be similar to the one in St. Elias. Fauna: Very little is known about this wilderness area, but the size and mountainous topography suggest a similar fauna of large predators including brown bear Ursus arctos, coyote Canis latrans, wolf Canis lupus (V), red fox Vulpes fulva, the globally threatened wolverine Gulo gulo. It is also assumed that most likely Moose Alces alces and caribou Rangifer arcticus range in lower elevations. Dall sheep Ovis dalli (more than 10,000) occupy high mountainous areas. Birds: The number of birds recorded in the wilderness area is not known, but assumed to be slightly lower than in the neighbouring St. Elias wilderness. There are golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos, bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus, gyr falcon Falco rusticolus and peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus, and a variety of owls. 92 Among the breeding wader species, the almost-endemic species, such as Surfbird and Wandering Tattler are breeding here in fairly large numbers. 20.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas : Only 0.03% of the area is protected by one site, covering 122 km’ (see map). 20.5. Threats and future developments Primary threats in the area are fragmentation as a result of settlements and road development. There is an active mineral industry with an extensive history in the area of hard rock and placer mining in many locations. Sources: Godfrey, W.E. (1986): The Birds of Canada (2. rev. Edition). Ottawa. 595 p. Shakelton, D.M. and the IUCN Species Survival Commission Caprinae Specialist Group (1997): Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Cambridge, U.K. 390 + vii pp. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge 93 ol i nat Seb tdhin® aeateon pbariaoe Piggies te edie nb viii tie bell asl’ hae ee ae - sadeciiv gyal vivink ii muti anil ou: sitpunal eohaey eae : = ST peri ae Suey seek asap via cua hiisisidiapaiaialimabatacaniles nas » Mgiacmay? PT: > i ietrecgyy spi phere Sen a6tnARER.O ya unee Secs oan Cita: ohare nae: with the aye: gue piteg thealeed ie bud hea taeeieendT — cin bis eoramaliise le ibeept a ot dotRtoRgett oie ose salt 9 wae th Me 7 veteoanl. gpeabannl en maT - ‘ater yaatbakpiinics cones bee dy rv Tie Wht wre see tae wal Gti! y Ty also vest ny Hipebiairs rue iteinalty by Vacs Ce akan i Weioew oe ~ sats Nis tardy. i cv * vag ca | ep Reisen Dek pais Os ihoe 0K Wis, » ghee eee en en a it Lends yor tae Boenety, son linto taeh we. an a aera chastity! heme amr 2 cea Dee, ae : meal 5 ae virima: hanes ie ie ae Persia Dim ety 7 * ie i: ‘Rave alee etc bao ai oc: Se ee A ee Rips aaa > 1 Ce yh ghee ane MRP Ees: - eis Hino BP vile ie: aa ageteesammmiay Phi 1FP! fone AY me ee tremahan eet aw a a Te alitee ili seis ‘asd shail st lip seul Abad te nents es taeda fe ghe ct ha em ; wi itt hc ca * Ae Ny i oe | = wie : : : = : or 7 - =a By ‘ : —, ; ass - ' 4 ‘to fil ahs - ae #, , Major cities Populated place Railroad Primary & secondary roads Tracks / trails / winter roads Power transmission line Pipeline No. 20: Yukon Alpine Tundra The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 rate i WWE UNEP WCMC Arctic boundary River Lake Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major infrastructure features, km < 20 > 20 > 20 (Area No 20) Non-Arctic land Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 Protected Area, ‘ (boundary or point location) SES99 C0 IVCN category la, Ib, Il 43 (other protected areas Internationally designated sites ELA Ramsar (VVetlands) site World Heritage Site a eT ee oy ; He brut aniglaA AOANT 0% ont No. 21. Markha River Valley (Russia) 21.1. General description The Markha River Valley wilderness of 44,359 km’ is entirely within the Arctic region as defined by WWF, located in Western Yakutia, south of the Large North Siberian wilderness and possibly part of it, due to unclear road definition on its eastern boundary. Two gold mines on the western boundary have been connected with roads, but the status of the roads extending north is not quite clear. It is very flat, with no mountains and the prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. Recent discoveries describe the southern parts of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas fields. More than half of the region holds oil resources of highest quality and with a strong possibility of further exploitation in the near future. Until today there have been mining activities at two locations in the west of the wilderness area. The area is almost entirely dominated by taiga, mostly by lowland taiga. Only a few lakes cover not more than 0.5% of the area. 21.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, more than 90% of the wilderness area is taiga forest, most of it in its northern form. Only 8% is mountain taiga. Lakes only cover a very small fraction, only 0.5% of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Northern taiga 73.7 Middle taiga Lord Mountain taiga 8.1 Lakes 0.5 21.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known, but could be relatively large owing to the southern latitude. Rare endemic Arctic plant species are not known from the area. Fauna: Mammals: Brown bear: no numbers known, possibly 300 - 400 Wolf: no estimates Wolverine: no estimates EIk: no figures available, most likely more than 3,000 - 4,000 animals Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but comparatively slightly higher than the average Arctic site due to its southern location in Siberia. The area is little surveyed and most likely is not inhabited by any known endemic species. Among the globally threatened species, the Baikal Teal is breeding in the lowland area. Other globally threatened species include the White-tailed Eagle, considered at low risk with still a few breeding pairs in the area. Golden Eagle 95 and Peregrine Falcon, predator birds, which require large undisturbed areas, are also breeding in the area. 21.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas There are no protected areas. 21.5. Threats and future developments There are two mining sites known on the western edge of the area. In addition, large deposits of oil and gas have been discovered in the area. It is of medium quality and no plans of exploitation are known yet. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 96 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 e@ £sN No. 21: Markha River Valley (ORGY wwF UNEP WCMC F \ i f | | y KnNnal . . ; Legend Arctic boundary Protected Area, ‘ ~=___ River (boundary or point location) ices GS Lake ES] C1 IUCN category la, Ib, II © __ Populated place [===] Snowfield / Glacier = LA\Z Railroad "] other protected areas : Distance from major /~N/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km , , ws” Tracks / trails / winter roads <20 Internationally designated sites: 7\/ Power transmission line oe e oe (Area No 21) aA Ramsar (Wetlands) site oe" ~Pipeline ~~ Non-Arctic land EZ World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, QUNEP-WCMC, 2001 or ee - Vet —— 99 ert? Ni ame baine Le reaps & eat : i ay Ser Tank ie phi ‘a alla evi artnet rs wh “hh FP an en ie ry pay Pe WE EIN OCA ab Ke Thome guilyytiin SVC thie Rail PR nored HO Loc krowin he? Oa. in (ie wis es ; , eh) nolylaett terns) 1S Mes 4 d' Nieere Crane wd eons Ober Laas ae iii sa ey ee (ot van Aa we Mech is odty 2% al hha ey Yotineletb an noigen otc Sat nintiiw benaurie sue “ol cee saat onan HI ROE : tat: (68 toaboll ort? vd erat alt ak beovtoitets a) ania ef 3 Oo 8 w o Teh ==) tay) S58 a BR o 2 eo & i = 5 cco SC << ee eye oO a 9 Zz ft o 435 Oo@ cE 5 5 > 8 = je ea (ie Ge 6 = (= ja ja) 2 = & 4 2 = NN 5 ¢ Go a oe — N wo Ome w @ = =o Zw SB we oO © €o 25 — pas le, sone a o00 6 © ESqaqn §S ij ® oO 9 BSVAAZ ci 5a BE o£ Tracks / trails / winter roads 4™~~/ Power transmission line am,” Pipeline nOS oe , Ne Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, SUNEP-WCMC, 2001 * gel wees f ih Siw Bri | betnoripe inl jeegumses sat ae biteiwo : yea gerne cc “OAS ‘ ay ty ° No. 23. New Siberian Islands (Russia) 23.1. General description The area consists of an archipelago of three large islands and several small islands comprising 38,135 km‘ in total and is situated entirely in the Arctic region. They are partly composed of ice cores covered with a thin layer of soil, with no mountains at all. Some islands preserve the skeletons of giant mammals from prehistoric times in their ice-cores, including the largest mammoth cemetery of the world. The islands are situated in the Laptev Sea near the start of the transpolar pack ice drift, an important current for the world climate. As high Arctic islands, the wilderness remained a very remote place for a long time and has hardly been settled at all. Even today only few settlers mostly stay here for the summer only. Six small settlements are dispersed over two of the three main islands. The most eastern island is not permanently settled at all. 23.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The area is simply classified as covered almost entirely by Arctic tundra. One large and a few smaller lakes cover only 3.6% of the area. Due to its low elevation, no permanent ice remained and no glaciers have been left. : Arctic tundra . 96.4 Lakes 3.6 23.3. Flora and Fauna Flora: The total number of plant species is not known. None of the globally threatened or rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic have been recorded on the New Siberian Islands. Fauna: New Siberian Islands is in the high Arctic and hence not very rich in biodiversity. Some selected taxa are listed. The total number of species is unknown; the number of breeding birds is about 36. Mammals: Only arctic wolf and arctic fox, reindeer, arctic hare and polar bear are among the major mammals on the islands. Polar bear: The area around the New Siberian Islands in the Laptev Sea is estimated to hold about 800 — 1,200 polar bears, which frequently stray on the islands in the summer months as well. Wolf : no figures available Arctic fox: no figures available Reindeer: rare, but no estimates Birds: The number of breeding birds is about 29. With six species of Calidrid sandpipers, this group is well represented. But only one goose, the Brent Goose is breeding there. Other birds include the Snowy owl, which requires large undisturbed territories. No figures are available. 101 23.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas The total area, including the sea surrounding the islands is protected as a Zapovednik, a strict nature reserve. This wilderness area is the best-protected site in the whole Arctic region. 23.5. Threats and future developments Threats of fragmentation are not expected for the nature reserve. Large oil fields have been discovered around the islands offshore, mainly north and east, and also underneath the easternmost island, but it seems to be of only medium quality and unlikely to be exploited in the near future. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. UNEP-WCMC Map Library WWE (1998): Lena Delta and New Siberian Islands, Nature Reserve. Oslo 34 pp. 102 The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 23: New Siberian Islands Ci @) @ WWF UNEP WCMC 132° 136° 140° 144° 148° 152° 156° oLL 9ST GL bd BED fle ee Arctic boundary Protected Area, River (boundary or point location) tein Lake 0 IWCN cat E egory la, Ib, Il epee === Snowfield / Glacier ESE [other protected areas FETs Distance from major ate Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km : ‘ as Tracks / trails / winter roads <20 Internationally designated sites: Power transmission line LLLP. Ramsar (Wetlands) site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 DIA Gt i" thd: 266 1A A batnemgerind regs. as ont pgs ate earn aliieiadesiaitd ow A me i : a ~~ 7 a0 oe a anemia Ay hs me a “ab | or | en a rattle a niteniai f livia? cor A. tiie € nase wt Joba). chat { ian | oo pec: eecing As aihy 3UR6) it ‘iat y ay bits a ah Sey OG wea wet et tas Nae ry we ini we \ BP) Sale ty Y pS iy j } pak mn noligirone® trminnd FAL i ia dle eniagtesh ae fais ris fe em m9 eo aamebGy avin. ayvareyat att 4 . nk’ Nigh eat bik” ved 18 HALE ROE Lh is aviiiY )oPemthh iis terovoa hays atecuslad Leesa Sten pare to) ae ee fis ath SUT Aer EH Ate ea ¥o ; Bape) DP LecinaiONT Prot, Coe Ale One Arid be Tioiad ache 5 imiunss aascabitw et atwudad pitow, (sil 2A .eiteen OG on Lit in vitonpernyay Wola ton ate sbngtel oat cae nave Pe Souwves: Die Keitto, 1, Wit, be 3 I seta , “Cones Siketia Werte 48%: . Floren Wt tei" rise nisi | Laan UP ein iret cea Ne oT ates SS CS i BP OP IC Woke 2 wal whos ogul soc yd Derreve af ve MC Mg Miro ain ets sil Wer Masi toca 4s¥ou macmnin ranattib diced get toanoM dewerok jon xi cafes alate Sete oh . wt aks 5 oheapiad —— ap No. 24. Severnaya Zemlya (Russia) 24.1. General description The Severnaya Zemlya wilderness area consists of an archipelago of three large islands and several small islands comprising 35,995 km‘? in total, and is situated entirely in the Arctic region. The islands are situated between the Laptev and Kara Sea, north of the Taimyr Peninsula. They are very mountainous, with highest peaks up to 800 meters. As high Arctic islands, the wilderness remains a very remote place and even today the islands are not settled permanently at all. 24.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The area is clearly dominated by glaciers and polar desert, about half each. Only 0.6% is covered by one large and a few smaller lakes. Due to its higher elevation, about seven different glaciers cover almost half of the area. Polar desert 52.2 Glaciers 47.1 Lakes 0.6 24.3. Flora and Fauna Flora: The total number of plant species is not known. None of the globally threatened or rare endemic vascular plant species of the Arctic have been recorded on Severnaya Zemlya. Fauna: Severnaya Zemlya is in the high Arctic and hence not very rich in biodiversity. The total number of species is unknown. The number of breeding birds is about 17. Mammals: Only arctic wolf and arctic fox, reindeer, arctic hare and polar bear are among the major mammals on the islands. Polar bear: The number of polar bears is not known, but the area east in the Laptev Sea is estimated to hold about 800 — 1,200 polar bears and west in the Kara and Barents Sea is about 2,500 — 3,500. Animals from both populations frequently visit the islands. Wolf : no figures available Arctic fox: rare, but no figures available Reindeer: very few only, no estimates Birds: The number of breeding birds is limited to only 17. With only two species of Calidrid sandpipers, this group is also poorly represented. Only one goose, the Brent Goose is breeding there. Other birds include the Snowy owl, which requires large undisturbed territories. Most famous and very important for the species is the large colony of 1,000 — 2,000 Ivory Gulls. 104 24.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas The protected area is only 3,081 km’, which is only 8.6% of the wilderness area, divided in three larger and one very small reserve, protecting the largest ivory gull colony. 24.5. Threats and future developments Threats of fragmentation are not expected for the nature reserve. Large oil fields have been discovered around the northern two islands and offshore mainly north and west, but it seems to be of only medium quality and unlikely to be exploited in the near future. Sources: De Korte, J., Volkov, A.E. & M.V. Gavrilo (1996): Bird Observations on Severnaya Zemya, Siberia. Arctic 48:222-234. IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. UNEP-WCMC Map Library 105 nae OL batostordl him fetarienic) wide bbe =e a : Hei obey KR: Riva ¥ penny Heh ‘wed TROL Vino ai gs beicosny off Noy vies bogie! ott yaoedeny jeyisesr eae vad ano Bas raga boul ni bebiveb. N ane rte" ai “a Sc - a ne a 7 mute 2 1 More aan hata sia CITA \ aaa ag ore 2b | mG , Pe vord Ry Diag iggy ah pare ana aerial pond ee cutee abil akioivid ARENA aniae DRIP RE eirhpcieliagymartied y! Aslabicidie ey eevee wilaadir ep, ince Meret abe Sh BT eas, iy Pye high Ate is Fkantcls . si ‘a sien ihe raked en et * les yaw er a song sae Vans aA sb REHR: La : ‘ bin-tee: ahaa siodil “The he cg me Shon aS _ hice Ry i gg gd Fr a ‘ _ = elon ‘Meret, gare air oF they om ma ". Wns, | Te te ie. oe nkeny Gor rap wa\deyl “weet vi pees . Saari — . : a Gearorticie: cei i a — dhaeeihe Hrs pti. fry pied a e pein deo Hh vi : i i aih A fe The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 (@) WwwF UNEP WCMC No. 24: Severnaya Zemlya lB 008 ol ll o6L oBL Legend \_» Arctic boundary Protected Area, — River (boundary or point location) 5 nie poe (1 IUCN category la, |b, II Snowfield / Glacier 3 ANZ Railroad ; : [Ss8s8 [[] other protected areas : Distance from major /\N/ Primary & secondary roads infrastructure features, km iba se : Hae os” Tracks / trails / winter roads z <20 Internationally designated sites: . . . a > 20 9 v 7~N/ Power transmission line 3 30 (Area No 24) EEA Ramsar (Wetlands) site Pipeline Zee Non-Arctic land Z| World Heritage Site Compiled by Dr |. Lysenko, GUNEP-WCMC, 2001 cer elgg rt i 286) A Datrienniogrint J loagriet e¢ oT iy No. 25. Malazemelskaya Tundra (Russia) 25.1. General description The Malazemelskaya wilderness, with its area of 29,424 km”, is the smallest of the 25 Arctic wilderness areas. As more than 2/3 of its total size is located outside of the Arctic region as defined by WWF, it is still rather large with a total of 89,939 km* and it is the second largest wilderness in Europe. The prevailing vegetation is determined by sub-arctic tundra. There is oil and gas exploration drilling currently in process. Recent discoveries describe most parts of the wilderness area as rich in oil and gas of high quality and there is strong evidence for planning further oil and gas exploitation in the future. 25.2. Biomes and major vegetation zones The large majority, with more than 80% of the Arctic part of the wilderness area is covered by tundra, followed by 16.7% Forest tundra habitats. The prevailing vegetation is treeless sub-arctic tundra with few shrubs. Lakes only cover a small fraction of 1.8% of the area. The biomes divide as follows: Northern subarctic tundra 3.9 Southern subarctic tundra 76.6 Forest tundra 16.7 Flood-plain vegetation of tundra and 1.0 taiga Lakes 1.8 25.3. Flora and Fauna Flora The number of plant species is not known. Rare endemic plant species are only found just outside the wilderness in already disturbed and largely fragmented areas. Fauna: Mammals: The area is rich in large predators: Brown bear estimated at about 2,000 Wolf: 300-600 (increasing) Wolverine (no figures available) Arctic and red fox (no figures available) Reindeer: 3,500 Elk: estimated at 10,000 -15,000 Birds: The total number of bird species breeding in the area is not known, but comparatively slightly lower than on Taimyr and further east in Siberia. The area has no endemic but one globally threatened species, rarely breeding in the forest tundra area is the Lesser White-fronted Geese. In the wilderness area it holds one of the largest populations of the western population and the largest in Europe. Other globally threatened species include the White-tailed Eagle, considered at low risk with still 107 high numbers breeding in the area. In the north and in particular on the northern most spit, the Russkiy Zavorot Peninsula, the wilderness hosts a high density of the Bewick’s swan, probably the majority of the European population with 25,000 to 36,000 birds. 25.4. Nature Conservation and Protected areas With only 3,628 km’, a fairly large proportion of 12.3% of the wilderness area is protected in 2 sites (see map). 25.5. Threats and future developments The threats to the area are deriving from oil and gas exploitation. Almost the entire region is rich in oil resources of high to medium quality. There are several drilling sites at present (not shown on the map) and there is a slight likelihood of further exploitation in the future. The wilderness is very much endangered by further fragmentation. A fairly large network of winter roads already exists in the Malazemelskaya wilderness area and it might be extended. Sources: IUCN Species Survival Commission (1998) Polar Bears. Occasional paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No.19: 159p. Mineyev, Yu. N. (1991): Distribution and Numbers of Bewicks Swans in the European Northeast of the USSR. Wildfowl Suppl 1: 62- 67pp. Talbot, S. (1997): Atlas of Rare Plants in the Arctic. Draft Map. Anchorage, Cambridge UNEP-WCMC Map Library 108 @ (69 \ iy wwF UNEP WCMC The 25 Largest Unfragmented Areas in the Arctic, Year 2001 No. 25: Malozemelskaya Tundra A‘ ar Tobsed a OSS = Re y 3 other protected areas Ramsar (Wetlands) site World Heritage Site Internationally designated sites: ESSE] O IUCN category la, Ib, II (boundary or point location) Protected Area, ea Arctic boundary Non-Arctic land IPE A < 20 >20 (ll > 20 (Area No 25) Snowfield / Glacier Distance from major infrastructure features, km @ GZ ee: o. Tracks / trails / winter roads ZN/ Power transmission line fe” Pipeline Populated place Major cities Railroad [o) fo) “4 7N/ Primary & secondary roads Compiled by Dr I. Lysenko, QOUNEP-WCMC, 2001 ; SHA ert) cy | soe boinamgatint teogna as ont oie Caw VO te re ema wel",