For 19 years, Nunavut has been working on the largest land use plan in the world. Industry is moving faster – The Narwhal

Aug. 14, 2025

A mineral rush in the North risks eroding years of consultation on the Nunavut Land Use Plan — and when it comes to protecting the land, time is running out

In December 2023, Hilu Tagoona was sent a pair of maps depicting the area around her Nunavut community of Baker Lake. One map showed mining claims as of August that year. The other showed claims as of December. Tagoona was struck by the scale of the staking. Over a matter of months, the area under active mining claims had overtaken a large swath of land to the west of her community.

Tagoona is senior Arctic advisor for Oceans North, an organization that supports marine conservation. She is also involved with Friends of Land Use Planning, a small group run partly by volunteers that has been advocating for the adoption of the Nunavut Land Use Plan — a document that outlines where development should be allowed and where environmental protection needs to be prioritized.

Read More: https://thenarwhal.ca/nunavut-land-use-plan-stalls/