Background

In 2017, a Statement of Intent was announced between the Government of Canada and the Nunatsiavut Government to work in partnership to advance Imappivut (Our Oceans): A Nunatsiavut Marine Plan Initiative for oceans management in the Labrador Sea.

The Nunatsiavut Government’s Imappivut Marine Plan safeguards the marine environment and Inuit interests, rights and priorities. This includes the designation of Inuit Protected Areas within the Nunatsiavut marine areas, including the Torngat Area of Interest (Torngat-AOI). The Imappivut Marine Plan would fully implement the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement in the entirety of the coastal and marine waters of Nunatsiavut and ensure that these waters sustain a healthy marine ecosystem that supports Labrador Inuit in being prosperous for generations to come.

In 2019, the Government of Canada and the Nunatsiavut Government announced the launch of a feasibility assessment to consider the establishment of an Inuit Protected Area under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park.

The feasibility assessment was guided by Inuit Knowledge and science collected and documented by the Nunatsiavut Government as part of Imappivut (Our Oceans): A Nunatsiavut Marine Plan Initiative.

The feasibility assessment considered, among other things, the social, environmental and economic benefits and impacts of establishing an Inuit Protected Area in the Torngat-AOI within the Labrador Shelf Marine Region. The process included extensive consultation on the proposed area and provided the opportunity for rights holders, partners, stakeholders and local communities to contribute information and share knowledge and expertise.

The establishment of an IPA/NMCA would enable the Government of Canada and Labrador Inuit to work in partnership to protect the natural and cultural values of the Labrador Shelf Marine Region and this portion of the marine waters covered by the Labrador Inuit and Nunavik Inuit land claims agreements.

In March 2024, the partners announced the successful completion of the feasibility assessment. The findings deemed the establishment of a new Inuit Protected Area in northern Labrador both feasible and desired. Learn more about this major step.

The feasibility assessment deems the establishment of a new IPA/NMCA in northern Labrador both feasible and desired. The partners recommend to their respective leadership to endorse these findings and commit to negotiating the establishment of the Torngat-AOI through dual designation as an IPA and as an NMCA, and ensuring Makivvik’s full participation in this next stage of the establishment process.

The CNMCA Act, the legislative tool used to establish NMCAs, cannot currently be used as a stand-alone tool to create an IPA. There are opportunities for an IPA to be designated and governed through Inuit knowledge, laws, and traditions. Parks Canada is committed to explore policy options that can enable the establishment of an IPA under the CNMCA Act, reach the goals of an IPA, and offer the combined protections of existing tools. The dual designation of the Torngat-AOI marine area as both an IPA under Inuit law and as an NMCA under the CNMCA Act may be necessary to meet the goals of an IPA presented in the Torngat-AOI Feasibility Assessment Report.

Proposed Inuit Protected Area/national marine conservation area adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park: Feasibility Assessment Report

Submitted by: The Torngat Area of Interest Steering Committee

March 2024

This is a summary of the report.

In 2019, as a first step of the Nunatsiavut Government Imappivut Marine Plan Initiative, the Nunatsiavut Government approached Parks Canada with the proposal to create an Indigenous Protected Area under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act. The Nunatsiavut Government and Parks Canada worked together to complete an assessment. The feasibility assessment was to determine if establishing an IPA/NMCA adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act was feasible, and if so, under what conditions.

The proposed IPA/NMCA in the Torngat Area of Interest (Torngat-AOI) is located in the coastal and marine region of northern Labrador, adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park within the Labrador Shelf Marine Region. The Torngat-AOI is a vast Inuit homeland. It is the source of Inuit cultural, social, spiritual, ecological, and economic well-being. The area includes the northern part of ‘the Zone’ marine area as defined in the Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement. The zone extends into the enhanced co-management area as identified by the Imappivut Marine Plan Initiative. The area supports a diversity of wildlife, including marine mammals, fish and important concentrations of seabirds and waterfowl. The 16,791 km² recommended boundary has the potential to contribute 0.29% towards Canada’s Marine Conservation Targets.

During the feasibility assessment process, the Nunatsiavut Government and Parks Canada created a Steering Committee to engage with federal and provincial departments with an interest in the area. They also engaged with rights holders and key stakeholders including industry (fishing, shipping, and marine transportation) and affected local communities in Labrador and Nunavik. The Steering Committee gathered information on ecological and socio-economic values including Inuit use, fisheries, marine transportation, tourism, and potential hydrocarbon resources. Inuit Knowledge asserts that Inuit are a part of the marine ecosystem. Archaeological and present-day use also show the integration of Inuit with the environment. Scientific information shows that the Torngat-AOI is of ecological and biological importance. Marine mammals, corals and sponges, marine birds, and sea ice influence the high biological productivity of the area.

In combining Inuit Knowledge, community feedback, and scientific study and review, the Steering Committee determined that protecting the Torngat-AOI as an IPA/NMCA is feasible and desirable, with a recommended boundary of 16,791 km². The Steering Committee recommends that the parties advance to the next step of the establishment process. This includes negotiating a legally binding establishment agreement and other necessary agreements.

More information