Achievements

  • The development of culturally appropriate Rules of Practice for Public Hearings; which meet all the requirements of natural justice and procedural fairness, but do so in a way that reflects a predominantly oral Inuit culture.
  • The establishment of the Nunavut Wildlife Resource Centres Coalition to link the resource centre materials found in the offices of the various wildlife management agencies in Iqaluit. ( http://nwrcc.ca/)
  • Providing assistance to government wildlife research initiatives through the Nunavut Wildlife Research Trust, and to community-based wildlife research projects through the Nunavut Wildlife Studies Fund.
  • Participated in the development of the Nunavut Wildlife Act.
  • The completion and publication of the Inuit Bowhead Knowledge Study, a five-year study that documented Inuit traditional knowledge about bowhead whales in Nunavut.
  • The completion and publication of the A Study of Inuit Knowledge of the Southeast Baffin Beluga.
  • The development and implementation of a trial program for Community-based management of narwhal and beluga.
  • The establishment of the annual allocation of turbot and shrimp quotas to Nunavut fishing interests.
  • The development of a modern polar bear management system, as reflected in the Memoranda of Understanding (MOU ) between the territorial government and Hunters and Trappers Organizations (HTOs).
  • The Nunavut Wildlife Harvest Study, a five year project aimed at collecting  harvest data from Inuit across The territory for use in establishing basic needs levels (BNLs) for Inuit. These basic needs levels will ensure that the first allocation from any total allowable harvest established will be to Inuit subsistence harvests.

On-going Initiatives

  • Co-ordinating our activities with Nunavut's 27 community-based Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organizations and three Regional Wildlife Organizations.  These organizations oversee harvesting at the local and regional levels, while the NWMB oversees wildlife management throughout the Nunavut Settlement Area.
  • Continuing towards the implementation of s. 5.6.25 of the Nunavut Agreement concerning the establishment of BNLs for beluga, narwhal, and walrus.
  • Providing contributions to Hunters and Trappers Organizations and Regional Wildlife Organizations.
  • Working closely with the other co-management boards which, like our own board, were created under the Nunavut Agreement to manage the land and other resources in the Nunavut Settlement Area. These include the Nunavut Planning Commission, the Nunavut Impact Review Board, the Nunavut Water Board, and the Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal. Cumulatively, the NWMB and these boards form the Nunavut Marine Council, addressing issues of common concern relating to the marine areas of Nunavut. ( http://www.nunavut.ca/http://www.nirb.ca/,http://www.nunavutwaterboard.org/en/home)
  • Working alongside and coordinating wildlife management efforts with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Nunavut Inuit Secretariat, the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Environment, and various federal governmental agencies, notably the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. (www.tunngavik.comwww.itk.cawww.niws.ca,http://env.gov.nu.cahttp://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htmhttp://www.ec.gc.cahttp://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/.) 
  • Cooperatively managing inter-jurisdictional populations of wildlife in cooperation with Aboriginal groups from Northwest Territories and Yukon, Nunavik organizations such as Makivik, the Nunavik Hunters Trappers and Fishers      Committee, and the Nunavik Marine Regional Wildlife Board (NMRWB), as well as government departments from Northwest Territories, Yukon, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. (http://www.makivik.org/http://nmrwb.ca/)
  • Working with Government departments to revise legislation affecting Nunavut to reflect the authority of the Nunavut Agreement.
  • Working with other members of the Nunavut Fisheries Working Group (Department of Environment, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Eeyou Istchee Cree, and industry partners) to promote Nunavut's interests in the offshore fisheries adjacent to Nunavut.
  • Considering future challenges beyond 2013 when the NWMB arrives at the 10-year funding mark set out by the Implementation Contract to the Nunavut Final Agreement. The next funding period and amount is to be negotiated with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
  • Establishing a new walrus management system for Nunavut based on recommendations from the Walrus Working Group.
  • Implementing a community-based monitoring network (CBMN) pilot study to assess the network as a tool to provide communities with the tools and skills they need to maintain a long-term self-sustained monitoring network and      database.
  • Designing, developing, and implementing a program in cooperation with our co-management partners to ensure the systematic and culturally-appropriate inclusion of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) in wildlife research and management within Nunavut.

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