A new dawn rises in the #Arctic: the #Inuit plan to reclaim their sea
By Ossie Michelin in Rigolet, #Nunatsiavut , Sun 27 Aug 2023
Excerpt: "While there are other Inuit-led marine conservation programs in Canada, this will be the first to bear the title of #InuitProtectedArea. This #ConservationZone, which is now the subject of a feasibility study, would span nearly 15,000 sq km (5,800 sq miles) of the #LabradorSea bordering the #TorngatMountains national park.
"Built on Inuit values and culture, this type of conservation area would allow Indigenous people to continue traditional practices of hunting and fishing.
That was not always the case. Past conservation policies saw Inuit at best only consulted and at worst completely ignored. Many Inuit hunters and fishers faced fines, had their equipment confiscated and their catches from hunting and fishing taken.
"Despite being granted the power to self-govern in 2005 (after 30 years of negotiations with the Canadian government), Nunatsiavut still lacked the final say over conservation in its waters. Final decisions defaulted to federal or provincial ministers.
"Now, at last, Nunatsiavut can jointly create and co-manage the protected area, based on Inuit priorities, as an equal authority. This will allow Inuit to practise #TraditionalHunting and #fishing in the area, while protecting the waters from industry and development.
" 'Just because we’re small doesn’t mean we can’t do something,' says #JamesGoudie, deputy minister of lands and natural resources in the Nunatsiavut government. 'We can show the world that a small region can protect a massive amount of #BioDiversity.'
"The Inuit Protected Area would only cover about a third of Nunatsiavut’s nearly 50,000 sq km of offshore waters, but the region is home to important populations of fish such as #salmon and #ArcticChar, the breeding grounds for many #MigratoryBirds, and the habitat of Arctic marine mammals including #PolarBears, #BelugaWhales and #Seals.
"Establishing a protected area is also a pre-emptive strike against #ResourceExploitation. Significant #NaturalGas deposits have been found offshore along the #LabradorShelf, but it has remained largely unexplored because of the ice. As the climate warms, however, the region is becoming more accessible – the Inuit Protected Area would prevent such resource exploration."
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/27/arctic-horizon-inuit-first-protected-zone-nunatsiavut-canada-photo-essay
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/LfYRZ
#SolarPunkSunday #ProtectingTheArctic #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #TraditionalKnowledge #FirstNations #InuitValues #TraditionalFishing #AnimalProducts #Conservation #Nature
CBC Newfoundland & Labrador
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