The Nunavut Agreement puts research squarely at the heart of an effective wildlife management system. Research is needed to provide information to the NWMB and its co-management partners to ensure that the best possible information is made available for making decision concerning Nunavut’s wildlife.
Article 5.2.37 of the Nunavut Agreement states that "there is a need for an effective system of wildlife management, and to be effective, the system of management requires an efficient, coordinated research effort".
Research is necessary to ensure that wildlife resources are harvested in a knowledgeable and sustainable way so that Nunavummiut can continue the hunting and fishing that is so essential to their way of life. The NWMB has a lead role to play in this area and is committed to making wildlife research responsive to the needs and concerns of the people of Nunavut.
To achieve these goals, the federal government set aside an $11 million trust fund upon the signing of the Nunavut Agreement to fund wildlife research. The Nunavut Wildlife Research Trust funds research projects undertaken by government agencies. In addition, the NWMB funds projects undertaken by non-government organizations (such as Hunters and Trappers Organizations) through the Nunavut Wildlife Studies Fund.
In the new North – where co-management bodies such as the NWMB determine the course of resource management – wildlife-related research is no longer done strictly by southern scientists without the input of knowledgeable Inuit. Today, Inuit help decide what research needs to be done, how research should be done, and they are involved in doing the research. Many Inuit are wildlife experts, and their knowledge and experience must be part of the research process.