The Yukon North Slope (YNS) has been and remains a core hunting territory of the Inuvialuit of the Canadian Western Arctic. From their communities in Aklavik and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, the Inuvialuit rely on the Yukon North Slope for their subsistence livelihood. They travel by boat, foot, allterrain vehicle or skidoo to hunt, trap and fish along the coast, foothills and mountains of the Yukon North Slope (YNS). The Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) was legislated in 1984 and confirms the management priority for the YNS is the conservation of the land, waters, wildlife and Inuvialuit traditional use. To assist in delivering on this management priority, the IFA established the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) – WMAC(NS) - as a co-management body comprised of federal, territorial and Inuvialuit representatives and an independent chair. The mandate of WMAC(NS) is to provide advice on all matters related to wildlife management on the YNS, including to prepare a Wildlife Conservation and Management Plan.
WMAC(NS) is currently in the process of updating the existing Wildlife Conservation and Management Plan (‘Wildlife Plan’) and has worked closely with the Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee (Aklavik HTC) in developing the process, approach, and goals for the new plan. The Aklavik HTC also facilitates research and community consultation associated with the revision effort. Round River Conservation Studies (RRCS) is part of the Wildlife Plan team, focused on bringing together ecological and cultural information into a regional assessment for the revised Wildlife Plan. The revisions to the Wildlife Plan will emphasize greater incorporation of Inuvialuit Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Traditional Use (Armitage and Kilburn, in progress), including TK regarding important YNS fish and wildlife habitats.
