The aim of this book is to contribute to culturally inclusive, equitable and effective wildlife conservation and management in the northern regions--and by extension, in other regions where indigenous systems of co-existing with wildlife also struggle to work with positivistic science-based assessments of conservation needs. Given the diverse worldviews, perspectives, and agendas of all those seeking to influence conservation of the iconic polar bear, it is impossible in a single book to provide a comprehensive treatment of the management problems Inuit residents of the Canadian Arctic and their government co-management partners face at the present time. Consequently, what is presented in this volume are the generally under-reported perspectives of Arctic residents that reflect an experiential understanding of events taking place in the region, and of some others whose views also augment assessments being used to develop polar bear conservation initiatives.

The international conference People, Wildlife, and Hunting: Emerging Conservation Paradigms brought together hunters, outfitters, community representatives, wildlife managers, researchers and conservationists from across Canada and overseas to explore the relationship linking trophy hunting, wildlife conservation, large-mammal management, community economies, and community sustainability in rural areas. This report focuses more particularly (but not exclusively) upon community-based conservation hunting programs operating in the Canadian North. Papers by: William A. Wall; Peter J. Ewins; James Pokiak; Sylvia Birkholz, Naomi Krogman, Marty Luckert and Kelly Semple; Jon Hutton; George W. Wenzel and Martha Dowsley; H. Dean Cluff and Ernie Campbell; Frank Pokiak; Kai Wollscheid; Lee Foote; Graham Van Tighem, Thomas S. Jung, and Michelle Oakley; Drikus Gissing; Marco Fiesta-Bianchet; Barney Smith and Harvey Jessup;