Rapid Assessment of Circum-Arctic Ecosystem Resilience (RACER) WESTERN GREENLAND WWF Report Ilulissat, West Greenland. Photo: Eva Garde WWF – Denmark, May 2014 Report Rapid Assessment of Circum-Arctic Ecosystem Resilience (RACER). Western Greenland. Published by WWF Verdensnaturfonden, Svanevej 12, 2400 København NV Telefon: +45 35 36 36 35 – E-mail:
[email protected] Project The RACER project is a three-year project funded by Mars Nordics A/S. This report is one of two reports that are the result of the work included within the project. Front page photo Ilulissat, West Greenland. Photo by Eva Garde. Author Eva Garde, M.Sc./Ph.D in Biology. Contributors Nina Riemer Johansson, M.Sc. in Biology, and Sascha Veggerby Nicolajsen, bachelor student in Biology. Comments to this report by: Charlotte M. Moshøj. This report can be downloaded from: WWF: www.wwf.dk/arktis 2 TABLE OF CONTENT RAPID ASSESSMENT OF CIRCUMARCTIC ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE 4 FOREWORD 5 ENGLISH ABSTRACT 6 IMAQARNERSIUGAQ 7 RESUMÉ 9 A TERRESTRIAL STUDY: WESTERN GREENLAND 10 KEY FEATURES IMPORTANT FOR RESILIENCE 13 ECOREGION CHARACTERISTICS 18 RACER EXPERT WORKSHOP, JANUARY 2014 21 KEY FEATURES 24 1. INGLEFIELD LAND 25 2. QAANAAQ AREA/INGLEFIELD BREDNING 27 3. THE NORTHWEST COASTAL ZONE 29 4. SVARTENHUK PENINSULA, NUUSSUAQ PENINSULA AND DISKO ISLAND 33 5. LAND AREA BETWEEN NORDRE STRØMFJORD AND NORDRE ISORTOQ FJORD 36 6. THE PAAMIUT AREA 38 7. INLAND NORDRE STRØMFJORD AREA 41 8. INNER GODTHÅBSFJORD AREA 43 9. GRØNNEDAL AREA 45 10. SOUTH GREENLAND 48 APPENDICES 50 LITERATURE CITED 59 3 RAPID ASSESSMENT OF CIRCUMARCTIC ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE WWF’S RAPID ASSESSMENT OF CIRCUMARCTIC ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE (RACER) presents a new tool for identifying and mapping places of conservation importance throughout the Arctic.