ABSTRACT
Like many parts of the world, the Arctic is sensitive to changing environmental conditions and changing political economies and cultures. Resource management in Canada’s north occurs in an environment of multiple stresses and contexts, including land claims, aboriginal self-government cultural change, mineral exploration, ecological changes and, increasingly, climate change. Significant climate-related changes have already been recorded in the Arctic during recent years, including warming, decrease in summer sea ice, increased frequency and magnitude of storms, sea-level rise, accelerated coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, and changes in the health and distribution of arctic flora and fauna (Krupnik and Jolly, 2002; Einarsson et al, 2004; ACIA, 2004). Climate scientists predict that these changes will continue and it is projected that the effects of future climate change will be experienced earlier and acutely at high latitudes (ACIA, 2004; Arzel et al, 2006). Climate change has implications for biological systems and for the natural resources upon which most Arctic communities depend, and residents have expressed growing concern about these trends (Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, 2001; Ayles et al, 2002; Simon, 2004). Communities are dealing with these environmental changes at the same time as they are grappling with the growing influence of the global economy, the encroachment of southern culture, threats to traditional identity, and evolving resource management regimes. These broader forces are affecting how communities interact with environmental conditions and their capacity to manage change (Duerden, 2004; Kofinas, 2004; Ford et al, 2006a, 2006b).
