Restoring habitat for Peary Caribou (ᖁᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ) and identifying research priorities

Parks Canada's report on conservation from 2018 to 2023

Conservation priority

Indigenous leadership in conservation

Location

Qausuittuq National Park, cooperatively managed by Inuit and Parks Canada upon advice of the joint Qausuittuq Park Management Committee, Nunavut

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In Qausuittuq National Park, the clean-up of industrial waste by Parks Canada with the support of Resolute Bay, is improving habitat for Peary Caribou, referred to in Inuktitut as High Arctic Caribou (ᖁᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ). Peary Caribou are listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, the experiential knowledge of Inuit, is taking its rightful place in guiding the development of a research strategy for the national park to aid in their protection.

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is key to understanding the caribou. By embracing Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Parks Canada and Inuit partners are putting Indigenous stewardship into action, examining the species’ connections to the environment as a whole: the land, water, wildlife, and the people.

Project highlights

• Cleaned up non-hazardous debris at 7 sites
• 47m² of industrial waste removed from 2019 to 2023
• Over 205 old fuel barrels removed since 2023
• 10 new research priorities identified through the Qausuittuq Research Strategy workshop
• Provided economic opportunities to 45 local Inuit individuals and businesses

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (pronounced “kow-yee-maa-yaw-too-kah-n-git”) translates directly as "that which Inuit have always known” or “experiential knowledge of Inuit". The foundational principles of Inuit culture, encompassing Inuit experience in the world and the values, beliefs, and skills which have evolved because of that experience, are captured in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.

Context

Covering much of the northern half of Bathurst Island, as well as several smaller nearby islands, Qausuittuq National Park (pronounced “Kow-soo-ee-took”) is one of the Arctic’s most starkly beautiful areas, with a landscape of ice, sky, rock, and brilliant wildflowers such as the Yellow Arctic Poppy. The park is cooperatively managed by Parks Canada and Inuit through the Qausuittuq Park Management Committee. This committee consists of community members from nearby Resolute Bay, appointed by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Government of Canada. Bathurst Island is part of the range of the iconic Peary Caribou, a vital source of food, clothing, and tools for Inuit.

Prior to the establishment of Qausuittuq National Park, oil and gas explorations in the 1960s and 70s left behind industrial waste. This debris impacts caribou feeding, physically endangers the animals, and acts as a barrier to natural movement and migration. Cleaning up this industrial waste was identified as a top priority by Inuit and the community of Resolute Bay and led to the implementation of the Tidy Tundra = Healthy Herd project.

Tidy Tundra = Healthy Herd

Through the Tidy Tundra = Healthy Herd project, the landscape is being restored to improve Peary Caribou habitat and improve the health of the ecosystem within the park. Efforts to remove non-hazardous materials including numerous old fuel barrels have been successful through collaboration with Natural Resources Canada’s Polar Continental Shelf Program, Canadian Wildlife Services, and local Resolute Bay partners. Together with Qausuittuq National Park, they have contributed to the complex work which requires helicopters, a Twin Otter plane, snowmobiles, and optimal weather conditions. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada hold the responsibility for hazardous waste clean-ups and are key collaborators in advancing progress in this parallel part of the work.

Qausuittuq National Park research strategy workshop

Parks Canada, community members of Resolute Bay, and the Qausuittuq Park Management Committee are working together to place Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit at the centre of the development of a research strategy for Qausuittuq National Park. In a January 2023 Caribou Connections workshop, the collaborators gathered to identify the research required to improve understanding and inform the management of the park. Inuit-led and collaborative research was emphasised as a priority. The significance of long-term monitoring to understand the effects of climate change, and the inclusion of archaeological and cultural heritage work in the park was also recognized. The workshop paid special attention to the Threatened Peary Caribou, due to this species’ importance to Inuit for subsistence harvesting, fur for clothing, bones and antlers for tools and art.

Video

Watch how Parks Canada is protecting the Peary Caribou in Qausuittuq.

Learn more

• Tidy Tundra = Healthy Herd