Institutional Arrangements Governing Marine Conservation Planning in the Canadian Arctic: The Case of Nunavut, Canada

Abstract

The Canadian Arctic marine environment is undergoing major physical changes with rapid climate change and increased resource development. In addition, completion of comprehensive land claims agreements has greatly altered the institutional landscape for marine planning throughout the Canadian Arctic. In the Beaufort Sea of the western Arctic, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has initiated and developed an integrated management planning process with the relevant agencies, organizations and local Inuit. In the Nunavut portion of the Arctic, the concept of marine planning is still in its infancy. This paper examines past, current, and the potential future of marine planning in the Canadian Arctic – with emphasis on Nunavut – through analysis of the institutional structures currently in place and their evolution over the past three decades. The restructuring of the institutional landscape, driven predominantly by the establishment of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement has created challenges and opportunities in an already complex environment. Currently, there remains a lack of leadership and direction for marine planning in Nunavut, which is highlighted by the disparity between ocean management activity in the western and eastern Arctic.