Inuvialuit Lands and Land Claims
©Dan Slavik-WWF-Canada

Inuvialuit Lands and Land Claims

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), located in Canada’s western Arctic, was designated in 1984 in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement – the first modern land claim in Canada’s Northern Territories. The ISR covers approximately 435,000 square kilometres in the Mackenzie Delta, Beaufort Sea, and Amundsen Gulf area. Inuvialuit communities in the region include Aklavik and Inuvik, within the Mackenzie Delta, and Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, and Tuktoyaktuk, along the Beaufort Coast. The ISR is home to about 5,700 people, including more than 3,300 Inuvialuit.

###Importance The Inuvialuit Final Agreement gives the Inuvialuit the right to participate in wildlife and environmental management regimes, including key roles on co-managements boards related to fisheries, wildlife and environmental assessments.

###Potential impact of an oil spill An oil spill could seriously affect the health of Inuvialuit communities and lands, by contaminating the waters and shores that provide traditional foods, and by compromising livelihoods and culturally significant activities, such as fishing and harvesting.

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