{"id":1674,"date":"2017-11-23T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T17:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/?p=1674"},"modified":"2026-02-09T14:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T19:58:17","slug":"an-inuit-vision-for-the-future-of-the-pikialasorsuaq-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/press-releases\/an-inuit-vision-for-the-future-of-the-pikialasorsuaq-2\/","title":{"rendered":"An Inuit Vision for the Future of the Pikialasorsuaq"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\r\n\r\nCopenhagen, Denmark; Nuuk, Greenland; Iqaluit, Nunavut; Nov. 23, 2017\r\n\r\nThe Inuit Circumpolar Council\u2019s Pikialasorsuaq Commission is calling for the creation of an Inuit- identified, Inuit-managed protected area in the ecologically and culturally significant area shared by Canada and Greenland in the High Arctic, as well as reinstatement of free movement for Inuit between historically connected communities in both countries.\r\n\r\nPikialasorsuaq is the West Greenlandic name for the North Water polynya \u2013 an area of historically open water teeming with marine life that depend on the upwelling of nutrients caused by ocean and wind currents in that location. The Commission is led by Inuit from Greenland and Canada, and in its first major report, \u201cPeople of the Ice Bridge: The Future ofPikilalasorsuaq\u201c http:\/\/pikialasorsuaq.org made the following recommendations for the conservation and management of the region:\r\n
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  • \uf0b7 \u00a0Establish a management regime led by Inuit representatives from communities in the Pikialasorsuaq region.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • \uf0b7 \u00a0In consultation with communities adjacent to the Pikialasorsuaq, identify a protected area comprised of the polynya itself and a larger management zone that reflects the connection between communities, their natural resources and the polynya. These areas would be monitored and managed by Inuit in agreement with all parties and formally recognized by governments.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • \uf0b7 \u00a0Establish a free travel zone for Inuit across the Pikialasorsuaq region.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe ICC Pikialasorsuaq Commission process started in the communities and this is their report.The Pikialasorsuaq Commission process has been developed from the bottom up and it is clearInuit of the Pikialasorsuaq want to lead the management of this area,\u201d says Okalik Eegeesiak,chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council.\r\n\r\n\u201cGreenland and Canada share an Arctic treasure. We heard loud and clear from citizens incommunities that are connected with Pikialasorsuaq that they want steps to be taken to protect it for future generations. People from the communities adjacent to Pikialasorsuaq want to be involved in the management and monitoring of this unique ecosystem. They recognize that the health of the species upon which they depend is connected to the health of thePikialasorsuaq,\u201d says Kuupik V. Kleist, the Greenlandic commissioner and former premier of Greenland.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\"page1image4127676272\"<\/div>\r\n
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    \r\n\r\nThe Commission is seeking support from governments to implement the recommendations inthe report. \u201cIt will take all levels of governments to realize this most important step in Inuitself-determination and management of their lands and waters. The Commission and the ICC urge the governments of Canada, Greenland and Denmark to work with Inuit and create apositive future for the Pikialasorsuaq and its peoples,\u201d says Eva Aariak, Canadian commissioner, and former premier of Nunavut.\r\n\r\nAbout the Pikialasorsuaq\r\n\r\nPikialasorsuaq, or \u201cGreat Upwelling,\u201d is the largest Arctic polynya and the most biologicallyproductive region north of the Arctic Circle. Pikialasorsuaq has been recognized by Inuit for generations as critical habitat, and communities in the Qikiqtani and Avanersuaq regionscontinue to rely on the polynya\u2019s biological productivity.\r\n\r\nPikialasorsuaq is vital to many migratory species upon which these communities and others farther afield depend. Wildlife that rely on the North Water polynya include narwhals, belugas, Arctic char, little auks (alle alle), eiders, gulls, kittiwakes, seals, bearded seals, hooded seals and other mammals that polar bears depend on for food.\r\n\r\nIn recent years, the northern ice bridge in Kane Basin, Nares Straight and Smith Sound (Ikeq) has become less reliable and the polynya less defined. The consequences of these changes, linked to larger climatic shifts observable in many parts of the Arctic, are not known.\r\n\r\nAbout the Commission\r\n\r\nThe Pikialasorsuaq Commission was mandated by the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) to conduct consultations in the communities in Nunavut and Greenland that are closely connected to Pikialasorsuaq.\r\n\r\nThe commissioners undertook consultations designed to facilitate local and regional input, to incorporate Indigenous knowledge, and to recommend an Inuit strategy for safeguarding, monitoring and management of the health of Pikialasorsuaq for future generations.Consultations took place with Canadian Inuit communities (Grise Fiord, Resolute, Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet and Clyde River) and in Northern Greenlandic communities (Siorapaluk, Qaanaaq, Savissivik, Kullorsuaq, Nuussuaq and Upernavik).\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\"page2image4128876304\"\r\n
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    \r\n\r\nIt is led by three commissioners: International Commissioner Okalik Eegeesiak (chair of the ICC),\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\"page2image4128884528\"\r\n
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    \r\n\r\nCanadian Commissioner Eva Aariak (former Premier of Nunavut) and Greenland Commissioner\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\"page2image4128891856\"\r\n
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    \r\n\r\nKuupik Kleist (former Greenland Premier).\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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    \r\n\r\nTo reach commissioners\r\n\r\nOkalik Eegeesiak, chair@inuitcircumpolar.com, +1 613-563-2642 Kuupik Kleist, kvk@ggnuuk.gl, +299 54 78 58\r\nEva Aariak, eva.aariak@gmail.com, +1 867-222-8355\r\n\r\nFor more information, please contact\r\n\r\nStephanie Meakin, ICC Canada, smeakin@inuitcircumpolar.com; +1 613-791-1925 Alfred Jakobsen, Oceans North Greenland, aerj58@gmail.com\r\n\r\nThis report was made possible through the support of the Oceans North, the World Wildlife Fund, Oak Foundation, and the Betty and Gordon Moore Foundation.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-25","category-press-releases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1674"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987515389,"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1674\/revisions\/987515389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inuitcircumpolar.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}