Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Global Environment Outlook for the Polar Regions  (GEO for Polar)

Outline
GEO for Polar is an integrated environmental assessment project for the Arctic and Antarctica, lead by the United Nations Environment Programme, with a focus on producing a high-profile publication and associated outreach products and activities aimed at bridging the gap between science and policy decision-making. Background: The UNEP Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is a participatory process for development of integrated environmental assessments (http://www.unep.org/geo/pdfs/TheGeoProcess.pdf). The process was initiated at the direction of the UNEP Governing Council to provide comprehensive integrated assessments of the environment on a regular basis. The global-scale GEO reports are issued periodically (GEO 4 is due for publication in 2007), with annual GEO yearbooks and special regional and national reports. Regional GEO reports have been prepared for Latin America and Africa, and the GEO for Polar would fit into this regional series. GEO projects are more than reports – toolkits, technical documents, policy papers, web sites and educational and outreach materials are also produced, with a range of targeted audiences (http://www.unep.org/geo). GEO for Polar is a regional GEO initiative: The development of the GEO for the Polar Regions will follow the established GEO procedures. The process stresses a participatory and consultative approach, and quality assurance through peer review. Teams will be formed for chapter inputs, and for regional inputs (for the Arctic regions, and for the Antarctic), to ensure that all interested parties and stakeholders are involved in designing, writing and reviewing the report. Collaboration will be invited from institutes and organizations of natural and social scientists, policy experts, and Indigenous Peoples. The project will, from the outset, consider science-based, local and traditional knowledge sources. Special attention will be given to including IPY projects and to highlighting the outputs from IPY. Existing international organizations and processes (such as the Arctic Council working groups) will be used where possible to assist with the development of the report. Drafts will undergo extensive peer review to ensure that the results are scientifically accurate and relevant. GEO for Polar products and outreach activities will also be designed through consultation. Methodology: The GEO for Polar will address five fundamental questions: (1) What is happening to the environment and why? (2) What are the consequences for the environment and humanity within the region and for the globe? (3) What is being done and how effective is it? (4) Where are we heading? (5) What actions could be taken for a more sustainable future? Methods and tools used to address these questions will include: indicators of conditions and trends (developed using the DPSIR - Drivers-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses model), scenarios (under different policy frameworks), analysis of multinational environmental agreements in the Polar context, and analysis of major issues in the Polar Regions and their global significance. Project Development: This project is in an early stage of development, but has received strong initial support from partners, including the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group, the new Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (CBMP), and the GEO-4 Polar collaborating team. The project leads are now developing further partnerships through existing Arctic and Antarctic networks and global GEO staff and collaborators. NOTE: The GEO for Polar will be developed in tandem with the Polar Atlas (please see the proposal for this project, submitted separately). The Atlas will be a reference and resource book for polar issues, while the GEO for Polar will focus on integrated assessment, looking at conditions and trends, and policy implications. There will be overlap and references between the two projects, and together they will form a set of powerful tools for understanding and communicating the key issues in Polar science and sustainability. Collaboration, authoring and review processes for the two projects will be combined wherever possible.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
This project will produce: 1. A GEO for Polar report: an integrated environmental assessment with maps, graphics, timelines, case studies, and highlights, with regional and global emphasis, designed for easy access by the public and policy decision-makers. The report will be launched at a high-profile global event (such as a UNEP Governing Council meeting) and will be accompanied by press releases, summary documents and a web version. 2. Spin-off outreach products, to be determined through the development of the project, and dependent on funding acquired. This could include materials (printed or multi-media, and translated into the appropriate languages) designed for education and outreach to specific audiences (such as policy makers, science students, Indigenous communities). Innovative use of internet technology will be considered in the development of these products. 3. Sub regional components may also be developed to highlight regional differences and distinct regional issues between the Poles and within the sub-regions.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The development of the GEO for Polar will involve social and natural scientists, policy experts, Indigenous People’s organizations, and stakeholders with interests in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. All aspects of the report, from the decisions on contents and development methodology to the outreach planning, will be undertaken by inter-disciplinary teams.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Yes

How will the project be organised and managed?
The project will be lead by UNEP/GRID-Arendal and UNEP/WCMC, with support and guidance from the Division of Early Warning and Assessment in UNEP, Nairobi. Coordination of this project across the communications, outreach and education cluster will be the responsibility of UNEP/GRID-Arendal. Once funding and in kind support has been secured, a design and production meeting will be held to kick off the process. At this meeting, collaborators and stakeholders will establish the contents and outline of the GEO for Polar and establish working units and timelines for production. Further production work will occur in smaller units, making use of internet technology for working on and reviewing drafts. The review and production process will be handled by the project lead agencies.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Target audiences, as defined in the Framework document, will be: Decision-makers, Arctic communities, and the general public. The GEO for Polar will primarily focus on communicating the significance of changes in the Polar regions to the regions themselves and to the rest of the world. There will be a strong human dimension focus to the primary publication and to the associated communications and outreach products developed through GEO for Polar. The GEO for Polar will provide a high-profile platform for synthesis and communication of major IPY findings. The launch of the GEO for Polar will be timed for late in the IPY period to incorporate as much as possible in terms of IPY programme results. Working closely with other IPY projects, such as the Polar Post (469) and the Pole to Pole book series (303) will be essential to ensure that major IPY results are incorporated and highlighted in GEO for Polar. We have considered the potential to form partnerships with other IPY initiatives to produce educational materials, and this will be explored with University of the Arctic and with specific IPY education initiatives.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The data sets used and compiled for this project will be managed through the UNEP GEO data portal (http://geodata.grid.unep.ch/), an established online database used in the GEO process.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
GEO projects are funded through a mix of funding sources and in kind support. Collaborators will be asked to provide their time and expertise to the extent possible, and all contributions will be fully acknowledged. Funding applications will be submitted through international and national processes, including through UNEP. A funding strategy is being developed for this project, in consultation with the Polar Atlas project, in order to reduce overall costs and the demands on collaborators’ time. Part of the funding strategy is to include funding to cover participation by Arctic Indigenous Peoples in the two projects.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Key features of this IPY activity: - Integrated assessment, highlighting issues and policy implications of scientific findings in polar and global contexts - Bi-Polar, international, with a high-profile launch of GEO for Polar towards the end of IPY - Proven methodology ensures inclusiveness and high quality - Includes local and traditional ecological knowledge - Multiple target audiences - Efficient use of resources by partnering with the Polar Atlas project to develop a resource book as a companion volume. This project will be organized at the international level, and participants from any nation with an interest in and involvement in the Polar regions will be welcomed to participate. Because of its placement within the UNEP GEO framework, we will be involving UNEP staff from other regions of the world to advise us and participate in the project design. As one of the key themes of this report will be the linkages between the Polar and the other regions of the world, we will look for ways to highlight and expand on the human dimension of this through involvement of non-polar regions. This proposal has been discussed with indigenous organizations through the Arctic Council Conservation of Flora and Fauna meeting in September 2005. It will be discussed further at upcoming Arctic Council meetings and at other fora. A particular focus of this regional GEO initiative will be the inclusion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and a team will be established early on to ensure that TEK is incorporated into the report in a meaningful fashion.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Ms Joan Eamer
UNEP/GRID-Arendal
Service Box 706 Longum Park Arendal
4808
Norway

Tel: +47 3703 5720
Mobile: +47 9942 9618
Fax: +47 3703 5050
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation