Arctic corridors and northern voices project: Methods for community-based participatory mapping for low impact shipping corridors in Arctic Canada

Abstract

Documenting Inuit and local knowledge is critical to its consideration within policy discussions around Arctic shipping; especially considering the rapid increase in ship traffic due to reductions in sea ice and climate change. We present our unique community-based research approach which incorporated youth training, participatory mapping, qualitative focus group discussions, and verification exercises to document Inuit communities’ perspectives in Arctic Canada about Low Impact Shipping Corridors. These qualitative activities provided appropriate context and understanding around community-created maps, community-identified opportunities, concerns, and recommendations, and the policy relevance and feasibility of recommendations posed. Three activity phases were employed; 1) before engaging in in-community research, 2) during in-community research, and 3) after completing in-community research. Spatial and non-spatial data were analyzed using ArcGIS® and NVivo software, respectively. These methods and observations can inform future research initiatives, particularly transdisciplinary teams, including those involving southern-based (early career) researchers, working in Inuit Nunangat. Methods presented here ensured that scientific processes and outputs were robust and rigorous and research was conducted in a respectful, reciprocal manner. Only through the collaborative efforts of a transdisciplinary team could scientific rigour be attained and respect be afforded. The approach can be easily applied to document community members’ perspectives on local priorities.

Supply Chain Operations in the Arctic

“…If communities clearly expressed the desire to see community resupply improved, the impact on the environment is also a concern and was voiced both for traffic generated by mining activities and for community servicing (Pic et al, 2021;, leading the federal government to refuse to grant permission for the expansion of the Mary River iron mine that would have generated increased traffic by heavy bulkers around the port of Milne Inlet (Venn, 2022). The federal government is also developing, in coordination with local communities, low-impact shipping corridors in the Canadian Arctic waters, with the goal of encouraging marine shipping to use routes that pose less risk with a view to minimizing the impact on communities and the environment (Dawson et al, 2020). Conversely, the decision by the federal government momentarily not to proceed with the IMO's ban on heavy fuel (HFO) decided in 2021 accepted the ban and said it is already phasing out its older vessels for new ones burning much-less polluting MDO (Blacquière, 2021), NEAS was reluctant to proceed as it would reportedly significantly increase its costs and thus eventually the cost of goods shipped to communities (Paquin, 2018).…”

“When We’re on the Ice, All We Have is Our Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit”: Mobilizing Inuit Knowledge as a Sea Ice Safety Adaptation Strategy in Mittimatalik, Nunavut

“…Four Elder and two youth Sikumiut members were present. The participatory mapping methods used were based on a previous research partnership in the community, in which Arreak had already received training (Carter et al, 2019;Dawson et al, 2020). We started by discussing the different sea ice seasons, and Sikumiut agreed on two distinct seasons that were most important to map: November to April, once the sea ice is frozen and stable, and May to July, when the sea ice is breaking up.…”

A long-term proxy for sea ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic: 1996–2020

“…The CAA is an important pathway bringing cold, fresh Arctic water to the Labrador Sea (Melling et al, 2008), which is an important site for deep convection and plays a key role in the large-scale meridional overturning circulation (e.g., Marshall and Schott, 1999). Moreover, the CAA is bisected by the Northwest Passage and is home to many northern communities that rely on maritime traffic for resupply (Dawson et al, 2020). As the ice cover declines, ship traffic across the Canadian Arctic has dramatically increased since the 1990s (Pizzolato et al, 2014) and sea ice poses the greatest risk to ships operating within the CAA.…”