Parks Canada works toward establishing Inuit Protected Area along the northern coast of Labrador

Once established, the new protected area will conserve over 16,700 square kilometres of the Labrador Shelf Marine Region

Parks Canada announced the successful completion of a feasibility assessment that deemed the establishment of a new Inuit Protected Area in northern Labrador as both feasible and desired.

The proposed 16,791 square kilometre Inuit Protected Area is located in the Labrador Sea, in the coastal waters adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Labrador. The area is home to polar bears, whales and dolphins, seals, breeding and migrating seabirds, waterfowl, and a variety of fish species. If established, it will conserve a portion of the Labrador Shelf Marine Region and protect the fjords that extend into Torngat Mountains National Park.

In addition to conserving biodiversity, protecting these marine ecosystems in northern Labrador will contribute to the vitality of Inuit culture and traditions and the well-being of Labrador and Nunavik Inuit who have been stewards of this region since time immemorial

Once established, the new Inuit Protected Area could contribute 0.29 per cent, an area approximately three times the size of Prince Edward Island, to the Government of Canada's commitment to protecting biodiversity and conserving 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2030.

Photo: Saglek Fjord in summer Credit: Rodd Laing (CNW Group/Parks Canada (HQ))