The Inuvialuit of this region have always hunted on the land. But it is the sea which provides the richest storehouse of food. And that’s why the creation of the Anguniaqvia Niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area in Darnley Bay last year is so important.

Its boundaries were established based on the knowledge of the local people who have occupied this land for countless generations. The role of Indigenous Peoples in determining the boundaries is guaranteed in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, a regional land claim settlement or modern treaty finalized in the 1980s.

Anguniaqvia Niqiqyuam is home to important species on which the 300 people of the community of Paulatuk rely for food. Conserving them is the primary purpose of the protected area, which is closed to development such as mineral or oil and gas exploration.

“This community is very special,” says Maya March, the manager of the adjacent Tuktut Nogait National Park. “We would rather not develop than threaten traditional lifestyles.”

John Kudlak is the former head of the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee. Kudlak says the four small communities in the region got together in 2008 to begin work on establishing a marine protected area.

Kaya Asdal

Björn Alfthan, Joan Fabres and Jan Dusik

Trista Patterson