Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę Gots’ę́ Nákedı
Sahtú Renewable Resources Board

2007 NWT Caribou Summit

Spurred by growing evidence that NWT barren-ground caribou populations were in sharp decline, the Government of the NWT organized the first ever NWT Barren-ground Caribou Summit. Representatives from every region, Aboriginal governments, caribou management boards, renewable resource and co-management boards, outfitters, environmental organizations, the oil and gas and mining industries came together to identify priorities for action over the next four years to help caribou herds recover. On January 23 to 26, 2007, over 180 delegates came together in Inuvik at the Midnight Sun Conference Centre and the Inuvik Curling Club to address this challenge. 

The four major themes of the Caribou Forever – Our Heritage, Our Responsibility: Barren-ground Caribou Management Strategy for the Northwest Territories 2006-2010 provided the basis for a series of background presentations to provide information for discussions during breakout group sessions. The themes were: Information for Management; Engaging Partners; Managing Human Impacts; and Addressing Hardships. 

Questions regarding possible actions and strategies were posed for the breakout groups to consider. Participants were encouraged to bring forward their own ideas for solutions. Results from each breakout group were presented to plenary sessions, enabling everyone to hear the full spectrum of concerns and perspectives from across the north. Delegates concluded the Summit by selecting priorities from each of the theme areas.

 Documents