The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) is, first and foremost, a coordinating entity for:

• Existing Arctic biodiversity monitoring programs;
• Addressing gaps in knowledge through the identification of new programs;
• Gathering, integrating, and analyzing data; and,
• Communicating results.

The CBMP functions as an international forum of leading scientists and conservation experts from all eight Arctic countries, the Indigenous organizations of the Arctic Council, and key global conservation organizations.

The CBMP is the cornerstone program of the Arctic Council’s Conservation on Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group. Via CAFF and the Arctic Council, the activities of the CBMP are being channelled into effective conservation, mitigation, and adaptation policies promoting the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources.

To ensure coordination and integration with related global initiatives, the CBMP is strategically linked to other international conservation programs and research and monitoring initiatives, such as the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, CAFF's Arctic Biodiversity Assessment,  the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership and Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks initiative.

An international steering committee oversees the strategic direction and implementation of the CBMP. The CBMP office is currently located in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.