3.1 Purpose of Aulavik National Park

Management Plan

3.1 Purpose of Aulavik National Park

The primary purpose of the park as stated in section 2.01 of the ANPEA is:

"The purpose of the park is to protect for all time a representative natural area of Canadian significance in the Western Arctic Lowlands natural region, and to encourage public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the area so as to leave it unimpaired for future generations while permitting subsistence usage and trapping by the Inuvialuit."

Aulavik also protects a significant portion of Banks Island. This level of protection will contribute to the ecological integrity of the larger ecosystem by promoting natural functioning and evolution of ecosystems on Banks Island and potentially to those of adjacent lands and waters. Aulavik, as part of the larger ecosystem, will contribute to the maintenance of genetic diversity.

Aulavik also plays an important role as part of a worldwide network of ecological benchmarks against which changes in local, regional and global environments can be measured. As part of this network, Aulavik will serve as an in situ gene pool to protect part of the genetic diversity of the planet. Aulavik also helps to strengthen the human-land relationship by supporting subsistence usage based on conservation.