Inuvialuit-led conservation area created in northern Yukon

Local Journalism Initiative
·2 min read

An area of northeastern Yukon covering close to 850,000 hectares of land will now be protected by the Inuvialuit.

Last week, a gathering in Aklavik celebrated the signing of an agreement that creates the Aullaviat/Anguniarvik Traditional Conservation Area, traditionally a region used by Inuvialuit hunters.

Signatories to the agreement include the Inuvialuit Game Council, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee, Aklavik Community Corporation, Yukon Government and federal government.

The goal is to protect and conserve an area of the Yukon North Slope that forms a habitat relied upon by the likes of the Porcupine caribou herd, polar bears and migratory birds.

In Inuvialuktun, Aullaviat/Anguniarvik translates to "where wildlife and people travel, a place to hunt," a news release stated.

"We have a feel for how our management of our animals and wildlife is in our land," said Billy Storr of the Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee during the Aklavik celebration.

"We're committed in that way and I'm glad to say today – it's a great relief to be able to say – this is done and it's signed."

"We are pleased that after several years of work, Inuvialuit government and philanthropic organizations have been able to come together in furtherness of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement goals, which recognize the special nature of Aullaviat/Anguniarvik and its link to Inuvialuit culture, environmental and economic objectives," said Dean Arey, chair of the Inuvialuit Game Council, delivering a message on behalf of IRC Chair Duane Smith, who couldn't attend the Aklavik event.

Arey said the IRC will maintain a trust fund to help pay for the area's conservation and will "work with all interested parties to ensure that the stewardship of Inuvialuit traditional lands continues for generations to come."

The federal government is contributing $10 million toward the trust fund.

Philanthropic organizations include the 444S Foundation, Wyss Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation and Art to Acres have provided an additional $3.5 million. The income earned by the trust fund over time will pay for the management of the area.

"Congratulations to the Inuvialuit and the entire community of Aklavik on this historic signing. The Aullaviat/Anguniarvik traditional conservation area establishment agreement has been 40 years in the making," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an audio greeting played during the event.

"It's also not lost on me that this June marks the 40th anniversary of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. It was a historic agreement, which cast a vision and laid the foundation for this momentous occasion," Trudeau continued.

"Reconciliation is not a finish line we cross. It happens in acts big and small, like the one you're celebrating today."

Aastha Sethi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio

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