[18] A key role of PAME relates itself to the proliferation of Arctic maritime contamination and pollution, stemming from both off-shore and on-shore activities.
The expert group of PAME's Marine Protected Areas subdivision is co-led by Canada, Norway and the United States.
The definition focuses the existence of a distinct geographical area managed in such a way that ensures the long-term conservation and protection of its natural ecosystems.
[24] There are seven categories[25] to accommodate the various characters of protected areas that exist globally, with the Arctic states each possessing policy tools to designate and manage these.
The framework principles involve identifying the character of local ecosystems before considering them adjacent to the group's assessments, objectives and values.
[27] The purpose of the approach is to facilitate management decisions of human activity which balance the exploitation of marine resources with ecosystem prosperity.
[28] In 2009, PAME released guidelines for the exploitation of Arctic off-shore gas and oil, delineating the Arctic Council's understanding of "good practice" for the stages of planning, exploring, developing, producing and decommissioning areas and equipment employed in resource exploitation and development.