Nunavut's environment minister comments on upcoming wildlife symposium

In a few weeks, Hunters and Trappers Organization representatives from all Nunavut communities will gather in Rankin Inlet with federal and territorial representatives involved in wildlife management for the Nunavut Wildlife Symposium.

I am very optimistic about this event, especially having witnessed the open and positive dialogue that is already taking place between the involved individuals and organizations.

A steering committee consisting of representatives from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the Department of Environment, the Nunavut Inuit Wildlife Secretariat and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board have been working for the past few months to plan the symposium.

It will be an opportunity to bring people together to address the expressed needs of Nunavummiut and to work toward the key principles of Piliriqatigiingniq (working together) and Avatimik Kamattiarniq (environmental stewardship). I am confident that this preliminary work and the symposium itself will open the door further to continued collaboration and dialogue between all stakeholders involved in wildlife management.

Recently, there have been several areas of concern expressed by Nunavummiut with respect to wildlife management within the territory. One concern in particular has been wildlife handling in research and its associated impacts, for example polar bear immobilization in mark-recapture studies.

This is an issue that will be discussed at the symposium, with the goal of clearing up misunderstandings, listening to peoples' concerns and perspectives, and together, creating new understanding of sustainable polar bear research and management.

There are both benefits and costs associated with wildlife research and it is important that we work together to find a balance that everyone with a role to play in wildlife management in Nunavut can live with.

Discussion at the wildlife symposium will set the stage for continued consensus-building on how we navigate the complex field of wildlife research as we work toward our common vision of conserving wildlife populations for future generations. This will require innovation, creative thinking and a sincere effort to seek common ground.

Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, the Minister of Environment is responsible for wildlife management in Nunavut. In addition, the Government of Nunavut has several federal and international obligations relating to wildlife and biodiversity and we continually strive to remain accountable in these areas while keeping the priorities of Nunavummiut and territorial issues at the forefront.

Furthermore, economic, social, and environmental changes are happening at fast and unpredictable rates and are necessitating a clear understanding of the dynamics of our wildlife populations to be able to deal with these changing circumstances. To do this, our management system relies on the predictive power offered by science, but Inuit knowledge also has an important and distinct contribution to make to our understanding of how to conserve and manage wildlife.

As a department, we are making great progress in integrating science and IQ (both in the form of hunter and community member observations and opinion as well as traditional ecological knowledge.) Our Davis Strait polar bear IQ study is one good example.

Currently, research data from a social science study that took place in Kimmirut, Pangnirtung, and Iqaluit involving elders and community members' knowledge and opinions on polar bears is being compiled, and we look forward to building on this work in the future. The symposium will be an opportunity to discuss how we can keep our eyes open to both science and Inuit knowledge to achieve a more holistic understanding of sustainable wildlife management and how it can be achieved.

We know that many of the issues and challenges surrounding wildlife management in Nunavut are complex and will not be solved in one meeting.

However, we see this symposium as a significant step for the GN in responding to the concerns of Nunavummiut and strengthening the relationships between co-management partners.

In the spirit of Piliriqatigiinniq, the symposium's theme, "Working together for wildlife sustainability" speaks to the goal of working toward a common vision shared between all Nunavummiut and organizations involved in wildlife management.

Everyone wants Nunavut's wildlife populations to thrive and to be available to future generations. In Nunavut there is as much diversity in our ways of knowing and understanding wildlife as there is diversity and richness in our wildlife species.

It is critical for us to integrate our knowledge and learn from each other rather than letting our differences prevent us from taking steps forward together. This is why engaging in true dialogue is critical, and this is exactly the kind of environment we hope to foster at the upcoming wildlife symposium.