This is a summary of a study in Paulatuk that gathered Traditional and Local Knowledge for the Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area (MPA). This is the first MPA in the Canadian Arctic with conservation objectives based solely on Indigenous traditional and local knowledge.

This report presents a summary of the study led in the community of Paulatuk that gathered Traditional and Local Knowledge (TK/LK) for the Are of Interest (AOI) during the feasibility study of the Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam Marine Protected Area (MPA), which was officially announced on November 16, 2016. This report is important because the Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam MPA is the second MPA in the Canadian Arctic and the first to have conservation objective based solely on Indigenous traditional and local knowledge. The collected TK and LK consider the following topics: ice conditions, marine biota ( vegetation, invertebrates, fish, marine mammals, seabirds, terrestrial animals, species presence and use of an area), the cultural and ecological key areas within the AOI, the human use of these areas, and the geographic locations and boundary extent of the proposed MPA.