LAUSR

ABSTRACT In impact assessment (IA) the value of different forms of knowledge is increasingly acknowledged, but implementation and practice challenges continue. In Nunavut, a territory in the Canadian Arctic, Indigenous knowledge plays a key role in understanding and defining environmental baselines and guiding the assessment process; however, even here there are needs and opportunities for improved treatment and use of Indigenous knowledge in assessment and decision-making. This paper outlines the central role of Inuit Qaujimaningit/Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) (Inuit knowledge) in shaping and defining Nunavut’s impact assessment process. The work highlights the potential of the Nunavut process to provide a model for the use of Indigenous knowledge in IA, and of co-management or Indigenous-led impact assessment. Focus groups were held with board members and staff of the Nunavut Impact Review Board – the co-management board responsible for impact assessment in the territory. The results highlight the unique qualities of the impact assessment process in Nunavut and demonstrate how IQ is a crucial component of project review, notably its role in decision-making and for ensuring that the process is meaningful to communities. The results and recommendations have value to a range of other jurisdictions that are also working towards using Indigenous knowledge in environmental decision-making or even seeking to advance Indigenous-led impact assessment.