Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Matthias Kühn Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Iceland 2015 Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Matthias Kühn 60 ECTS thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of a Magister Scientiarum degree in Environment and Natural Resources Advisor(s) Mariana Tamayo Ester Rut Unnsteinsdóttir Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Environment and Natural Resources University of Iceland Reykjavík, September 2015 Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Arctic fox management in Iceland and Svalbard 60 ECTS thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of a Magister Scientiarum degree in Environment and Natural Resources Copyright © 2015 Matthias Kühn All rights reserved Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Environment and Natural Resources University of Iceland Sturlugata 7 IS-101 Reykjavík Iceland Telephone: 525 4000 Bibliographic information: Kühn, M., 2015, Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard, Master’s thesis, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, pp. xii + 48. Printing: Háskólaprent Reykjavík, Iceland, September 2015 Abstract The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is Iceland’s only native terrestrial mammal and an important species in Icelandic ecosystems. However, this species has long been regarded as a vermin in Iceland. Major changes in Iceland’s environmental policies in the 1990s awarded, for the first time, a protection status to the arctic fox. Svalbard’s arctic fox population is considered viable and stable and the species, one of the few top predators in the arctic, is equally important to Svalbard’s ecosystems. The species gained the status of a priority species in Svalbard in the 1990s and is regarded as one of the main indicators for the state of the environment in Svalbard. This study reviews the historical background of arctic fox hunting in Iceland and Svalbard, and focuses on the development of the current management regimes for the species. Further, it examines the effect of international commitments on national legislations and management of arctic foxes in Iceland and Svalbard, and provides recommendations to further protect this species. The study shows that the implementation process of international obligations into national legislations in Iceland and Svalbard has ushered major changes in the protection of the arctic fox. Further, the comparison of Iceland and Svalbard represents a good example to develop management strategies for other arctic islands with arctic fox populations to promote the overall long- term survival of the species on a global scale. This study provides comprehensive legislative and management recommendations to complement Iceland’s enormous transformation and achievements towards protecting its arctic fox population. Iceland serves as an example of a sea ice free arctic fox population and can, hence, contribute to potential management strategies on other arctic islands that will become free of sea ice in the future due to climate change. Den höchsten Frieden findet der, der schützt, was atmet, schützt, was lebt. (Buddha) Table of Contents List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... ix! Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. xi! 1! Management of the arctic fox in Svalbard ................................................................... 1! 1.1! Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1! 1.2! Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 3! 1.2.1! The early history of Svalbard from 1596 to 1700 .......................................... 3! 1.2.2! Russian overwintering trapping from 1700 to 1852 ...................................... 3! 1.2.3! Norwegian overwintering trapping from 1795 to 1941 ................................. 4! 1.3! The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 and the Svalbard Act of 1925 ................................... 6! 1.4! Environmental protection in the 1970s .................................................................... 8! 1.5! Svalbard’s Environmental Protection Act and the status quo ................................. 9! 1.6! Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 12! 1.7! References .............................................................................................................. 14! 2! Management of the arctic fox in Iceland .................................................................... 19! 2.1! Introduction ............................................................................................................ 19! 2.2! Historical Overview ............................................................................................... 21! 2.2.1! Management of the arctic fox from 930 to 1994 ......................................... 21! 2.2.2! The new legislations of 1994 and the Nature Conservation Act ................. 24! 2.3! International obligations ........................................................................................ 27! 2.4! Planned improvements of current legislations ....................................................... 29! 2.5! Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 30! 2.6! References .............................................................................................................. 32! 3! Comparison of arctic fox management in Iceland and Svalbard ............................. 37! 3.1! Introduction ............................................................................................................ 37! 3.2! Arctic fox management in Iceland and Svalbard ................................................... 38! 3.3! Regulatory and legislative recommendations ........................................................ 40! 3.4! Management recommendations ............................................................................. 41! 3.4.1! Examination of damage to livestock ............................................................ 41! 3.4.2! Metapopulation/Migration studies ............................................................... 43! 3.4.3! Emerald Network ......................................................................................... 43! 3.4.4! Minimum viable population (MVP) ............................................................ 44! 3.5! Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 44! 3.6! References .............................................................................................................. 46! vii viii List of Tables Table 1.1 Summary of the number of hunted arctic foxes in Svalbard from 1596 to 1971 .................................................................................................................... 7! Table 1.2 National and international legislative changes regarding environmental protection in Svalbard from 1925 to the present .............................................. 11! Table 2.1 Legislation changes from 930 to 2013 regarding the management of arctic foxes in Iceland ................................................................................................. 28! ix x Acknowledgements Many great things have come along my way while preparing this thesis. Without the kind support of many individuals it would not have been such a meaningful and important time for me. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of them. First of all, I would like to thank the University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) in Reykjavík for giving me the opportunity to join the interdisciplinary Master’s program ‘Environment and Natural Resources (M.Sc./M.A.)’. The two years in Iceland truly changed my life and inspired me greatly to follow my inner visions to make a difference in our world. Further, I like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to my supervisors Mariana Lucía Tamayo (University of Iceland) and Ester Rut Unnsteinsdóttir (Icelandic Institute of Natural History) for their guidance and support throughout the whole two years of my Master´s studies in Iceland. Besides my supervisors, I would also like to thank Kristinn Haukur Skarphðeðinnsson (Icelandic Institute of Natural History) for being a supportive opponent and for his final ideas of improving the thesis. A special thanks goes to Trausti Baldursson from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for pointing out where to find valuable information about the status of Iceland´s legislations. I would also like to show my gratitude to Eva Fuglei (Norwegian Polar Institute) and Bjarte Benberg (Governor of Svalbard) for providing me with data and comprehensive information for my thesis. Further, I am very grateful to Sandra Lai (Université du Québec) for her invaluable advice and continuous support throughout the last two years. I also take this opportunity to express my