WWF welcomes recommendation to halt Back River Gold Mine development in Nunavut

IQALUIT, NUNAVUT, June 20, 2016 – In response to the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s (NIRB) final report on the Back River Gold Mine, which recommends against developing the mine at this time, WWF-Canada is calling for the adoption of clear habitat protection guidelines in Nunavut’s proposed Land Use Plan. 

In making its recommendation, NIRB did not close the door completely on development, but stated that now – when the Bathurst caribou herd has declined by more than 95 per cent and many communities are struggling with harvesting bans – is not the time to proceed with new development that would add additional pressure to the species. 
  
WWF-Canada supports this finding and encourages Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to follow the recommendation of the NIRB when making her decision on the future of the project. Further, in order to avoid lengthy and expensive reviews in the future, WWF is calling for ‘no-go’ zones and proper habitat protections in areas like calving grounds and key access corridors under the Nunavut Land Use Plan.

Quotes from Paul Crowley, VP Arctic, WWF-Canada
“WWF was pleased to see the NIRB decision against the Back River Gold Mine project, as it held up protections for the sensitive Bathurst caribou herd and the Nunavut and Northwest Territories communities who depend on them. And while the project did propose some measures for protecting caribou, those measures are untested and unproven. The time to test new, risky mitigation measures is not when a species or herd has declined to 5 per cent of its historic high. 

“WWF agrees with the NIRB report findings that certain areas – like calving grounds, post-calving grounds, key access corridors and freshwater crossings – need full habitat protection to properly safeguard herds. WWF has been calling for these habitat protections to be implemented under the Nunavut Land Use Plan, to prevent future exploration and development projects from endangering already sensitive places and species. We stand with many local and Inuit groups in criticism of the Government of Nunavut’s recent position change on this matter, and continue to ask for designation of ‘no-go’ zones to prevent industrial development on critical habitat.” 

About the Bathurst caribou herd:

• A 2015 survey indicated a significant population decline in the Bathurst herd, with as few as 16,000 remaining, down from 35,000 in 2012, 186,000 in 2003, and a historic high of 470,000 in 1986 (greater than 95 per cent decline).
• The number of breeding females in the herd has declined by 50 per cent since 2012. 
• Low population numbers have resulted in caribou harvesting bans in communities in the Northwest Territories.  

About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that wildlife, nature and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more info, visit wwf.ca.

For further information
Rebecca Spring, Arctic communications specialist, [email protected], +1 647-338-6274