Conservation and Tourism Development in Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas of the Canadian Subarctic and Arctic

For many Indigenous communities around the globe, the histories of tourism in parks are filled with experiences of displacement. Currently, some Indigenous communities are building tourism infrastructure in relation to the formation of parks as a mechanism to enhance sustainable economic development in the Canadian Arctic and Subarctic. Consequently, colonial practices of park management in Canada are being replaced by consultation processes that favour Indigenous management frameworks with corresponding implications for tourism businesses throughout the rural north. This paper is based on an analysis of government policy and legal documents as well as the collective experience of the researchers who work with community-based approaches to park formation and tourism development. This research presents an historical overview of the origins of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, which are emerging designations of parks that provide opportunities for alternative economies outside of resource extractions sectors. However, several legal, jurisdictional and environmental barriers remain that could inhibit sustainable tourism development in the region. We contend that Indigenous-led conservation practices in parks have the potential to enhance healthy ecosystems, regional tourism economies, and the preservation of cultural values in the backdrop of the climate emergency and global pandemics.