Therese Rist joins as senior advisor at WWF in northern Norway, at a time of growing pressure on Arctic marine ecosystems.
Photo: Marius Fiskum / WWF
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has appointed a new senior adviser based in Tromsø as part of an effort to strengthen its work on marine protection in the Norwegian Arctic, where only about 1% of national waters are currently designated as marine protected areas.
Therese Rist has taken up the role of senior adviser and project manager and will work from northern Norway. According to WWF, her remit will include efforts to improve the protection of Arctic coastal and ocean areas and to reduce environmental impacts from fisheries in northern waters.
Rist previously worked at the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and has a background in journalism. WWF said her appointment aims to reinforce its presence in the north at a time of growing pressure on Arctic marine ecosystems.
“Fisheries, Sámi interests, tourism and other industries in the north depend on a healthy and vibrant ocean,” Rist said. She also described the northern Norwegian coast as being among the country’s most important natural assets, and said that improving marine protection in northern Norway is "a demanding task".
"The northern Norwegian coast is some of the most beautiful we have in Norway and critical for wildlife and ecosystems. We must take better care of it for future generations," she said.
WWF linked the move to Norway’s commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which includes a target to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. The organisation argues that Norway is lagging behind other countries when it comes to marine protection.
Secretary general Karoline Andaur said stronger safeguards for Arctic seas are necessary if Norway is to meet its international obligations. “Our northernmost sea areas are particularly vulnerable and subject to increasing pressure. To preserve the unique nature of the northern seas, we must protect far more of these areas.”
“Now we have good people in the right place for precisely that task,” Andaur said.