Who's the best choice to manage an ecosystem? The people that are part of it! as Parks Canada recently figured out. Officials recently wrapped up consultations with residents from nearby Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq on the creation of a new management plan for Auyuittuq National Park.
One of the biggest changes already in place is the amount of Inuit and community involvement in these discussions, according to Nancy Anilniliak, field unit supervisor for Nunavut National Parks for Parks Canada.
"We have to remember having a park doesn't impede any harvesting rights of the Inuit. The Inuit are a part of the ecosystem, they cannot separate from the land and the wildlife, and that's a part of the process we all have to understand. This is going to be very important for working together and managing the park for long term."
A management plan will provide long-term direction for maintaining the park's ecology and cultural resources, according to Anilniliak, who grew up in Pangnirtung.
Developed within the framework of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement, it will span a 15-year period and include regular reviews.
The plan will be the first specially-tailored to the 19,000 square-kilometre site since Nunavut's creation. While the park was established in 1976, it had inherited an interim document based on Parks Canada's more southern models.
Source: Northern News Service
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