Left to right: Zachary Oogark, Richard Kakkianiun, Joanni Uqqarluk, and Stevenson Kayaitok remove waste barrels left on the tundra by Cold War–era Distant Early Warning Line radar sites, built across the Arctic from the 1950s to the 1980s. Photo credit: Liederik llluitok
Indigenous guardianship in Nunavut’s western Arctic
Protecting the pristine Kitikmeot region
Located in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, the Kitikmeot region is home to many species, from narwhal and polar bear to beluga whale and caribou. It’s also home to around 6,500 residents, most of whom are Inuit, with longstanding connections to the rich, vast ecosystems of the Arctic. But climate change is putting increasing pressure on the region and the people who live there.
Kugaaruk is one of five remote hamlets in the region. The Kurtairojuark Hunters and Trappers Association (HTA) is working to find ways to protect the waters and lands around the hamlet. A key pillar of this work has been the establishment of a local Indigenous Guardians programme, which has hired local residents to act as monitors and stewards of the area. ADRIAN BOHLENDER, the HTA’s manager, spoke to The Circle about why the people who live in the region are dedicated to protecting its biodiversity.
Adrian Bohlender, manager at The Kurtairojuark Hunters and Trappers Association
How important is the natural environment to life in your community?
It’s very important. Traditionally, our ancestors have survived on Arctic char, lake trout and other aquatic wildlife, as well as seal. Even now, everybody still relies on traditional food sources, like fish, caribou, seals, polar bear, narwhal and bowhead whale. So, we’re still very traditional in terms of what we eat. That’s why it is very important that our ocean and land are protected.
What kinds of changes have you been seeing?
The weather has been warming and creating unpredictable patterns. Ten or 12 years ago, by mid-November, the ocean would be completely frozen. All the ponds, lakes and rivers, everything would be safe to travel on by snow machine. But now, people are still using ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) in November and nobody’s using the ocean because the ice is still very thin. So that’s one concern.
The change is also affecting animals. During the spring, seals give birth to pups, which need to develop blubber, grow their adult waterproof coat and gain strength before the ice melts. But I think the changing sea ice patterns might affect their ability to do this in time. As well, polar bears are coming closer to town—or even into town—a lot more frequently. This is posing a danger to people.
What has your association been doing to protect the environment and the animals that depend on it?
Well, we started our Guardians programme in early 2024. So far, we’ve hired six guardians, who act as land stewards. They go on patrols twice weekly, whether on the tundra or the ocean, and monitor the land and ice for any changes or concerns. They then record any data or observations online and upload these to a database. We can compare the data to previous years. So, the programme helps us adapt to the impacts of climate change as they happen.
The Indigenous Guardians initiative
The Indigenous Guardians programme is a conservation model in which Indigenous Peoples take the lead in the planning, stewardship and management of their traditional lands, waters and ice. It supports on-the-ground, community-led programmes that monitor wildlife, safeguard culturally significant landscapes, collect traditional and scientific ecological data, and respond to climate change-driven threats. The programme has created meaningful job opportunities, revived cultural practices alongside modern conservation, and strengthened Inuit decision-making in their homelands. In the face of rapidly changing sea ice, warming waters, and shifting species distributions, guardians are increasingly pivotal because they combine Indigenous knowledge with western science to monitor ecosystems in transition.
Francis Anaittuq and Stevenson Kayaitok place temporary buoys in a shallow area near Kugaaruk to increase safety for boaters. Photo credit: Richard Kakkianiun
Argviligruaq Land Guardians harvest fish on the Kellet River. Photo credit: Lionel Tigvareark
A raven standing on the ice, holding a piece of fish with it’s claw. Photo credit: Lionel Tigvareark
Aside from the Guardians programme, what other steps is the HTA taking to protect this area?
We’re trying to create what’s called an IPCA, or Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area. The idea is to conserve the area—like the traditional campsites that people have used for generations during hunting and travel as well as habitats for marine and terrestrial animals. We also aim to stop or prevent mining or mineral exploration in the region because community members do not want any mining activities in the area. Our land is still pristine. Some would say untouched. There’s a great abundance of wildlife species. Mining would negatively impact the wildlife and their habitat.
From your own perspective, what makes this area so special? Why does it need to be protected?
Our ancestors utilized this land and lived on it their entire lives. They relied on these animals, this wildlife. They’ve passed down all their knowledge to us. I’m very concerned because things are unpredictable now, but what’s going to happen in the future? The weather has changed so quickly in such a short span of time. What’s going to happen in the next 10 or 20 years? How will this affect the wildlife? Will people be able to rely on these food sources in the future? There are a lot of unknowns.
What is an indigenous protected and conserved area (IPCA)?
An IPCA is a region of land, ocean or ice where an Indigenous government leads the planning, stewardship and decision-making. IPCAs are grounded in Indigenous laws, knowledge systems and cultural practices, and often overlap with areas of high ecological and cultural importance.
Each IPCA is unique, but most feature:
- Indigenous governance
- conservation outcomes, such as protection for ecosystems, species and cultural values
- the interweaving of Indigenous knowledge and western science
- long-term stewardship, often involving Guardian programmes
IPCAs can play a major role in protecting migratory species, sea-ice routes and culturally significant harvesting areas.
By WWF Global Arctic Programme
