The Igalirtuuq Conservation Initiative: An Exploration of Collaborative Multi-level Environmental Governance Formation

Abstract

In 2010, the Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area (NNWA) was formally established at Isabella Bay, Baffin Island, Nunavut. This designation suggests the site’s importance for wildlife conservation, and as a potential component of an emerging network of Canadian marine protected areas. However, upon closer inspection, this wildlife area also represents a complex and lengthy initiative to conserve wildlife habitats, and to support local livelihoods and culture in the region. This long-term process, referred to here as the Igalirtuuq Conservation Initiative (ICI), dates back to the early 1980s when it began as a community driven initiative. Over the subsequent decades the initiative moved through several phases as it was shaped by surrounding socio-political events. The process remains ongoing today. This thesis takes an historical approach to understanding the formation of collaborative and multi-level environmental governance (CMEG). In order to do so, temporal and organizational, and thematic analyses are used to construct a detailed case study of the ICI. In addition to this, a framework of conditions for successful multi-level environmental governance is tested and refined based on the case study. This exploratory research finds that the many important conditions necessary for CMEG formation can be identified in governance theory, as well as by looking at social-political contexts specific to the case study.