WWF supports moratorium on harvesting Baffin Island caribou

Iqaluit (December 22, 2014) – WWF is pleased that the Government of Nunavut has declared an interim moratorium on the harvest of Caribou on Baffin Island, effective January 1, 2015. This action demonstrates that Nunavut’s wildlife co-management system – when based on the best available science as well as traditional and local knowledge – can be responsive to changing conditions. WWF remains a long-time supporter of the co-management of wildlife harvesting set up under land claims agreements in Canada.
 
“The Government of Nunavut has demonstrated leadership. This is a decision that needed to be made,” said David Miller, President and CEO of WWF-Canada. “We appreciate that making this decision was not easy, knowing how important caribou harvesting is to Nunavut families, many of whom are food insecure.”
 
Caribou across the Arctic are facing multiple pressures to their long-term survival. Harvesting, when regulated by effective co-management systems, is the most managed of the pressures on caribou. However, protecting critical habitats such as calving grounds, migration routes, crossing sites, and wintering areas is also vital to healthy caribou populations. The latest draft Nunavut Land Use Plan proposed June 20, 2014 by the Nunavut Planning Commission does not exclude industrial development from caribou calving and post-calving areas.  
 
“We need a much stronger Nunavut Land Use Plan,” said Paul Crowley, Director of Arctic Programs for WWF-Canada, “It is difficult to imagine how caribou populations are going to thrive over the long-term without protecting their most important habitat. With the interim moratorium, the next steps will be to strengthen the protection in the Land Use Plan and adopt long-term caribou management plans. Together, these measures can help ensure that caribou will be part of the diet of future generations of Inuit and Northerners.

Media Contact:
Tammy Thorne
Head of Strategic Communications
WWF-Canada
416.347.1894