Overview of marine protected areas in the eastern Canadian Arctic and their ability to mitigate current and future threats

• Main Author: Bone, Bryden
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Baffin Island; Clyde River; Cumberland Sound; Eclipse Sound; Baffin; Climate change; inuit
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10222/75141

The Arctic marine environment is defined by a number of ecological, cultural, and social dimensions, including endemic organisms, rare environmental features (e.g. polynyas), and Inuit social and cultural practices. Marine protected areas (MPAs) offer one available protection tool, yet the current extent of the MPA network is insufficient to adequately conserve the ecological, cultural, and social dimensions present. This research quantified the risk associated with industrial activities (i.e. mining, commercial shipping, tourism, commercial fishing, and hydrocarbon activities), climate change, and improper mechanisms of Inuit participation to the ecological, cultural, and social dimensions in the eastern Canadian Arctic. Three assessment locations (i.e. Cumberland Sound, Eclipse Sound, and Clyde River) and two timeframes (i.e. current extent and 15-year future) were included in analysis to elucidate spatial and temporal differences. Climate change was consistently assessed as having the highest risk score across locations and timeframes. MPAs offer mitigation potential for all industrial activities, though this will depend on specific design and conservation objectives, and effective inclusion of Inuit in governance. Recommendations from this research include creation of legislation to support the implementation of Indigenous protected areas and creation of protected spaces in the eastern Canadian Arctic before the footprint of industrial activities increases. Keywords Canadian Arctic, risk assessment, Baffin Island, climate change, marine protected areas, risk mitigation, Indigenous protected areas