The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA), signed in 1993, is the largest land claim agreement in Canadian history, governing an area that is one-fifth of Canada's land mass. At the centre of this modern, comprehensive agreement are the lands and resources co-management boards that guarantee Inuit meaningful involvement and participation in decisions relating to the preservation and future development of lands within the Nunavut Settlement Area (NSA).
The NWMB's mandate, put most simply, is the following: to help ensure the protection and wise use of wildlife and wildlife habitat for the long-term benefit of Inuit and the rest of the public of Nunavut and Canada. It attempts to fulfill this mandate by carrying out its various functions, as set out in the NLCA, in cooperation with its Inuit and Government partners.
The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board is the largest of these co-management boards. Learn more about our board's responsibilities, including the 5-year Nunavut Wildlife Harvest Study; our programs for funding wildlife research by government agencies and research by non-government agencies; our working groups and committees; our goals and achievements to date, and our relationship to other organizations.
The NWMB strives to enable and protect the beneficial utilization of wildlife for and by the beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement as well as other residents of the Nunavut Settlement Area (NSA) and to manage wildlife consistent with the principles of conservation, sustainability and ecosystemic integrity.
The NWMB co-ordinates its functions and activities with the Regional Wildlife Organizations and the Hunters and Trappers Organizations to ensure communication and co-operation with the many communities of the NSA.
The NWMB seeks to identify, develop and bring to bear the best information and expertise in the formulation of its decisions. The Board recognizes the role and power of various sources of information and expertise, including but not limited to, resource users, community elders, traditional knowledge and modern science.
The NWMB operates in an open forum, informing the public and providing for public input and participation.
