Endangered Species Protection in the Arctic: A Comparative Legal Study of the Polar Regions of Europe and North America

Abstract

The Arctic is changing faster than any other region on earth. Climate change is leading to warming within the Arctic at least twice the rate of the rest of the planet. Climate change, combined with the impact of pollution, plastics in the ocean, natural resource extraction, and many other harmful anthropogenic activities, is threatening the survival of many Arctic species. Reliant on sea ice habitats or adapted to bitterly cold conditions, animals and plants in the Arctic are facing extinction if they cannot be protected. Endangered species protection in the Arctic is primarily the responsibility of the nation states with territory north of the Arctic Circle. Each country has their own laws and regulations aimed at protecting species. This project uses a comparative legal method to assess the effectiveness of the endangered species protection systems within the domestic legal systems of the Arctic nations of Europe and North America. The study considers the legislation, regulations and other written laws of each country as well as using a number of case studies to demonstrate how the law is used in practice. Selection of the case studies is made possible through the collation of reported endangered species court cases from north of the Arctic Circle over the past two decades. By conducting a comparison of domestic endangered species protection laws within the Arctic, this project identifies strengths and weaknesses in the systems of the various jurisdictions, draws on examples of good practice which could be used to influence changes in the approach of other Arctic countries and makes recommendations of improvements which need to be made to help Arctic species to survive the threats which they will face in the coming years.