The Need to Report on Research and Monitoring
Direction for establishing a research and monitoring program in Canada's protected heritage areas comes from a number of sources. In the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), all planning, management, monitoring, research and operations are subject to the provisions of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA). One goal of the IFA is the protection and preservation of Arctic wildlife, environment and biological productivity through the application of conservation principles and practices. Information about cultural and ecological resources in protected heritage areas, and how they are changing, is required to meet these goals.
The IFA also established a number of Inuvialuit and co-management organizations with resource management responsibilities. These organizations need information from research and monitoring activities to be effective. These organizations are the Inuvialuit Game Council, Hunters and Trappers Committees, the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope), the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (Northwest Territories), the Fisheries Joint Management Committee, the Environmental Impact Screening Committee and the Environmental Impact Review Board.
At the national level the Canada National Parks Act, establishes the maintenance of ecological integrity as the first priority for all aspects of park management. Part of this commitment is the development of the State of Protected Heritage Areas Report which highlights the ecological condition of Canada's national parks. Research and monitoring activities conducted in protected heritage areas are used to assess the ecological condition of national parks.
A number of documents and initiatives support the need for research and monitoring in protected heritage areas in the Western Arctic. Direction for research and monitoring in the ISR comes from the Community Conservation Plans for Aklavik, Holman, Inuvik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk. Workshops have been held to identify research and monitoring priorities for Aulavik and Tuktut Nogait national parks. These workshops provide Parks Canada with input from community residents, resource managers and scientists regarding future research and monitoring needs. The Yukon North Slope Wildlife Conservation and Management Plan produced by the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) identifies the need for research and monitoring on the Yukon North Slope, including Ivvavik National Park. The Yukon North Slope Long-Term Research and Monitoring Report identifies gaps in current knowledge of the Yukon North Slope environment and identifies research and monitoring priorities.