Aperçu biophysique et écologique d’une zone d'étude dans la région visée par l'entente avec les Inuits du Labrador

Abstract

The Government of Canada has committed to protect 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020, which requires the creation of new protected areas throughout Canada’s marine territory. The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement (LILCA), signed in 2005, established the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area (LISA) which includes 72,520 km2 of lands and 48,690 km2 of coastal waters. In 2017, the Nunatsiavut Government signed a Statement of Intent with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to establish a marine plan for the Nunatsiavut Zone, including environmental protection. This report, and the associated Proceedings document, capture the results of a biophysical and ecological overview of the area, co-authored by the Nunatsiavut Government, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Available information (including Local Knowledge [LK], peer-reviewed literature, archived scientific data from government and academia, and ongoing research), sensitive habitats and species, data gaps, and research recommendations are presented here for 14 biophysical, ecological, and social components of the study area: • Estuaries and coastal features; • Seabed features; • Sea ice; • Physical oceanography; • Biological oceanography; • Macrophytes; • Benthic communities; • Corals, sponges, and bryozoans; • Fish; • Marine mammals; • Marine birds; • Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas; • Inuit use and other human activities; and • Protected areas and other closures.