By Gloria Galloway
The federal government (click here) has reached an agreement with local Inuit that will lead to the protection and management of a massive swath of northern sea in one of the most ecologically sensitive regions of the Canadian Arctic.
The new proposed boundaries of a national marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound, which has sometimes been called the Serengeti of the Arctic because of the breadth of its biodiversity, would encompass more than 131,000 square kilometres of ocean.
That is 10 times larger than the biggest of the four existing national marine conservation areas, more than twice as large as any other protected area on land or sea, and would more than double the area of Canada’s marine protected waters.
It also represents about 1.9 per cent of the country’s expanse of ocean and would mark a significant step toward meeting its commitment, under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, to conserve 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas by 2020....
...While all environmental groups contacted for this story praised the expansion of the protected area, some said they hoped the government would not wait long to actually put the permanent protections in place.
“We’d be pleased with any announcement that includes meaningful protections for Lancaster Sound,” said David Miller, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada. “Since Shell relinquished 30 oil and gas exploration leases last summer after a WWF-Canada lawsuit, there is nothing standing in the way of creating the largest marine protected area in Canada, with a boundary that is informed by traditional knowledge that will fully protect the integrity of this unique ecosystem.”
Right now, a large portion of the world’s narwhal are feeding within the area to be protected, with their newborn calves at their side, Mr. Miller said. “ Bowhead whales, beluga, walrus, polar bears and countless migratory birds are stocking up on Lancaster Sound’s bounty in the 24-hour daylight to get themselves through next winter.”
