Whales inspire great fascination in the public culture of industrialized nations. Images of majestic and mysterious creatures of the sea, hunted to or nearly to tragic extinction in a emblematic example of human excess, have fueled the economic and cultural power of this century's global movement to end whale hunting. However, this political movement, and the ecological research it initiated, has largely ignored the experience of Native circumpolar communities, whose vast knowledge of whales and whaling has evolved through centuries of integrated cultural and economic practices rooted in the ethics of subsistence consumption and sustainability. Today, the Inuit find themselves struggling with international management regimes which, while they have been successful in curbing the destruction of large-scale, commercial whaling enterprises, have imposed policies that are insensitive to the needs and traditions of Native subsistence hunters. Inuit, Whaling, and Sustainability is based on extensive ethnographic, ecological, and policy research sponsored by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and presents Inuit perspectives on the integral role whales play in cultural, economic, philosophical, and nutritional aspects of Inuit life. This book is also the first major publication to engage in policy analysis, and formulate modes of environmental research, grounded in Inuit voices and realities. Sponsored by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference

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;

Considers the sometimes problematic relationship between traditional and scientific wildlife management knowledge and practices: environmental ethics, resource management systems, co-management arrangements and options, and the role of commissions in resource management. Papers by: Fikret Berkes; Anne Gunn, Goo Arlooktoo and David Kaomayok; Rick Riewe and Lloyd Gamble; Polly Wheeler; Ivar Bjorklund; Richard Caulfield; Miriam McDonald; Harvey Feit; Gail Osherenko; and Thomas A. Andrews