Caribou protection in mining spotlight
Contentious issues tacked at Mining Symposium Hot Topics event
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, April 10, 2017
IQALUIT
With a view to providing a more interactive approach to mining-related topics, the Nunavut Mining Symposium introduced a new event called Hot Topics this year.
A portion of a caribou herd beds down near core boxes at Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.'s Meliadine gold mine site in August. The company is calling for shared best practices and integrated caribou protection and mitigation measures.- photo courtesy of Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. |
Four representatives were asked to speak on the contentious issue of caribou protections under the heading Caribou and Sivumut Abluqta (stepping forward together) -although time ran out, making a question period impossible.
Geoff Clark, director of lands for the Kitikmeot Inuit Association gave a talk called Defining Protected Areas To Protect Caribou Calving Grounds: Will It Work?
Clark presented scientific data, as well as traditional knowledge data from the past 140 years.
Clark argued that Government of Nunavut polygons -the name given to the GN's identification of calving grounds -don't work. The calving grounds shift from year to year, he said.
"The GN polygons made in 2014 are risking obsolescence two years later because we're starting to see peak calving outside of the data provided to NPC (Nunavut Planning Commission)," said Clark.
Previous attempts to define protected areas for Bathurst and Bluenose East caribou are also now obsolete as the calving grounds moved 20 or more years ago," he said.
"Fixed areas or static areas for protection does not work for caribou calving grounds unless you use a very big area and a lot of time," he said, adding an alternative to protective areas would be adaptive management plans.
"Reasonable mobile technologies could be used to reduce disturbance on calving caribou."
He asked that the GN use its authority and not delegate to the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) or the Nunavut Planning Commission.
"Use your authority, you're given it in law. We see the GNWT driving the bus around a lot of issues regarding caribou in the West Kitikmeot," said Clark.
Department of Environment assistant deputy minister Steve Pinksen, who addressed the economic benefits and value of both development (billions) and caribou (millions), said the territory is facing challenges with all the caribou herds, which are experiencing declining populations.
"Certainly the inherent cultural value of caribou is not something we're able to put a dollar figure on," said Pinksen.
The GN would like to see an increase in the already existing cooperative relationships with industry on wildlife research, specifically direct and in-kind support for research.
"Improved compliance with the conditions of licences and project certificates would be appreciated," said Pinksen.
Biologist Mike Setterington of Environmental Dynamics Inc. presented his knowledge of caribou and mining effects based on both science and extensive work with elders.
"For Nunavut caribou we've done at least seven cumulative effects assessments and they're generally saying the same thing: of course industry has an effect. Any footprint on the landscape has an effect," said Setterington. "It's just that it's not a significant effect."
Setterington says the challenge is that regulators and scientists working for regulators seem to disregard the small magnitude of effect. He said the caribou-population decline is global.
"Caribou tend to slowly climb in numbers, until there's a peak, and then there's a plummet. There will be many years of abundant caribou, 20 or 30 years, then 10 years later, all of a sudden there's nothing."
Setterington pointed to two herds in Alaska with development on the calving grounds.
"Those are examples of how caribou can tolerate development," he said, adding there are a couple of herds to the west beginning to climb in numbers.
But, he said, the fear is real.
There is living memory of caribou declines causing starvation events.
"That fear brings about a sense of very strong precaution," he said, adding the precautionary principle observed by the regulator is an unachievable standard and stops decision-making.
Stephane Robert, director of regulatory affairs with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. outlined his company's caribou monitoring and mitigation measures.
"If we don't protect caribou, we won't be there," he said about Meadowbank and Meliadine.
As an example, at Meliadine, the company stopped all outdoor activities for more than 100 hours when caribou came through in 2016.
"It's a lot of hours for an operation -but it's something we need to do. We are committed to that and we believe in that," said Robert.
"Because we believe that caribou and development can co-exist. We strongly believe that. It's for that reason that everybody has to work together for the best approach to minimize impact on caribou," adding all the parties have to share best practices to ensure development and caribou protections can take place simultaneously.
