Global importance of Arctic regions

The Arctic plays an important role in regulating climate and also helps to cool the planet. It plays an important part in the regulation of the hydrological cycle and ocean salinity as large quantities of water are stored in the form of ice and snow. Because of the low temperatures, decomposition rates are slow, meaning that the tundra has previously acted as a carbon ‘sink’, but evidence suggests that, as it warms up, the Arctic is increasingly becoming a carbon ‘source’. Plants are an important part of this as they fix the carbon that is then sequestered in the soil.

Reindeer in Sassendalen, Svalbard © Malcolm Parsons

The Arctic is globally important for lichens and mosses - 11% of the world's lichens and 4% of the world's mosses [1] are found in the Arctic. A number of regions within the Arctic are on lists produced by the IUCN and WWF that rate areas for their ecological importance http://www.biodiversitya-z.org/areas/14). The criteria for these designations focuses on the irreplaceability of certain plant and animal species, the uniqueness of habitats and their importance in terms of maintaining global biodiversity.