Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) is a working group of the Arctic Council, a high-level intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic states of Canada, USA, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Kingdom of Denmark (representing Greeenland, Faroe Islands and Denmark) and Iceland.

The working groups are an essential part of the Council, contributing valuable information to shape decision-making in the region. The PAME Working Group's activities are directed towards protection of the Arctic marine environment. 

PAME's mandate is to address marine policy measures related to the conservation and sustainable use of the Arctic marine and coastal environment in response to environmental change from both land and sea-based activities, including non-emergency pollution prevention control measures. Products include coordinated strategic plans, action programmes, best practices & voluntary guidelines, trend analysis, and recommendations. The PAME International, based in Akureyri, Iceland, provides support and coordination to its working group activities, its members and the PAME Chair. 

Main Arctic Projects

PAME has multiple projects ongoing and works after detailed and Ministerially approved work plans which are released every two years. The projects and activities within the work plans are developed based on PAME`s mandate; priorities identified and recommendations made in Arctic Council approved reports; direction provided in Ministerial declarations; follow-up on recommendations from Arctic Council projects and the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan (AMSP 2015-2025), which outlines the overall direction of the Arctic Council for the protection of the Arctic marine environment. PAME’s Work Plans are available on PAME's website here.

PAME‘s work is focused around six main themes:

1. Arctic Marine Shipping: Highlights include the Arctic Ship Traffic Data Project,  PAME‘s work on Heavy fuel Oil and the Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum, and  its web-portal (arcticshippingforum.is)
2. Arctic marine pollution: Highlights include work on marine litter in the Arctic; Marine Protected Areas: Highlights include work on the status and trends on protected areas in the Arctic;
3. Resource exploration and development: Hihglights include the MEMA project, about indigenous people‘s engagement in marine activities in the Arctic;
4. Ecosystem approach: Highlights include the development of guidelines to help with the implementation of EA in the Arctic;
5. Framework documents: Maintaining, updating and working with the documents who guide the work of PAME and the Arctic Council, including the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan (2015), the Arctic Ocean Review Rport (2013) and the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (2009).

Main publications and reports

PAME has publised a variety of reports and other material which are available on the PAME website.

 Website

The website is: www.pame.is.

The PAME website contains numerous reports on issues related to the Arctic marine environment. The highlight of them is the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, a comprehensive overview of shipping in the Arctic. The website also has the PAME work plans and other relative information.