Responsible tourism in the Arctic

The melting of the ice is having another knock-on environmental impact: facilitating access to oil. Some 90 billion barrels of oil – plus huge reserves of natural gas – are believed to lie in the wider Arctic region, the vast majority of this offshore. Drilling attempts in the 1970s and 80s proved to be costly, complex and inefficient – but rising oil costs and receding ice were left oil companies lusting for more.

The likelihood of drilling being carried out above the Arctic Circle seems to be as much about politics as it is about business. In 2015, for example, the US government’s Obama administration blocked future prospects for oil drilling in Alaska, putting in place lease conditions that were supposed to make it impossible for prospectors to even set foot there. Just three years later, the Trump administration approved drilling in pristine waters 10km offshore and close to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest such refuge in the country. The oil company involved, Hilcorp, already has a history of leaks – the largest of which spilled over 4,000 gallons of oil in a Louisiana lake. Alaska, meanwhile, was the site of the Exxon Valdez Oil spill, when a tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound in 1980. 10.8 million gallons of oil were spilled into the water, in one of the most catastrophic environmental disasters to date.

Greenpeace’s longstanding Save the Arctic campaign has had an extraordinary impact on creating awareness about the environmental impact of drilling for oil, but it seems that when one concession is halted, another opens up. An Inuit community in Canada’s Baffin Island partnered with Greenpeace to campaign against oil exploration in the waters in front of their village, and in 2017 they won their long battle to end seismic testing in the area. But Norway is making inroads into the Barents Sea, one of the most accessible and regularly ice-free regions of the Arctic, where up to 17 billion barrels of oil may lie. Politics have again played a role in Arctic Russia, where US sanctions have slowed Russia’s oil explorations. Greenland however, plans to auction off its onshore oil blocks in 2021. With no international protections in place, unlike in Antarctica, damage to this fragile region looks highly likely.

The use of nuclear icebreakers, the hauling of icebergs to make way for rigs, seismic blasting, and the creation of roads and pipelines all have the potential to cause havoc in the Arctic ecosystem – not to mention the climate impacts of yet more fuel being burned. And of course, an Arctic oil spill could be catastrophic for wildlife above and below the ice, with cleanup operations hampered by the rig’s inaccessibility and harsh conditions. WWF has more information on their website.

What you can do
The inexhaustible Greenpeace runs ongoing campaigns and protests to protect the Arctic and halt further drilling and exploration. You can donate to their Save the Arctic campaign and sign up to receive updates.

WWF also does extensive work in the Arctic, including supporting polar bear research, assisting local communities to avoid conflict with wildlife, researching the impacts of climate change and establishing protected areas. They are also members of the Arctic Council, and as such can influence decisions made by the governing nations. There are several ways you can support WWF and their work.

Finally, if you do travel to the Arctic, choose a cruise that actively supports conservation through their own programmes or support of projects in the region. If you visit an inhabited area, such as Baffin Island, Chukotka or parts of eastern Greenland, spend time with local communities and spend your money in their restaurants, museums and craft shops to help support them. A damaged Arctic harms everyone – but these communities really are on the frontline, as their homes, food sources and culture are at risk.

Most polar bear hunting was outlawed in 1973, but in some countries, particularly Canada, hunting by Inuit communities is still legal. The allocation of hunting permits is based on regular monitoring of the populations, and quotas are then assigned to the communities through a system of tags which are given to the hunters.

Controversial as this may sound, polar bear hunting (as well as the hunting of other species, including seals and whales) is a strong tradition for native Arctic peoples. Every part of the bear is used – from the fur to the meat and the fat, and the Inuit know which bears are best to cull without damaging breeding populations. Inuit hunters can sell on the pelts, which can reach $3,000 to $4,000 - a hugely important source of income in these remote communities. And there are also schemes where they can supply the liver, pieces of fur and other body parts to researchers, to develop knowledge and understanding of the bears.

However, in Canada, communities are also permitted to sell on their quotas to non-native hunters. Permits are sold as part of a package – including several days’ food, transport and lodging – and the hunter must be accompanied by a native guide. With the package costing anywhere from $35,000 to $80,000, this is no small business for the Inuit, and many have come to depend on the income from hunters to remain in their Arctic villages, even as the sea ice melts and subsistence hunting becomes tougher. Although the hides are usually bagged by the hunters, the Inuit will still eat and preserve all the meat. Hunting also allows for the management of the polar bear populations which are straying ever closer to inhabited areas. Allowing polar bears to be killed by non native hunters is highly controversial, but given the Inuit's dependence on the meat, the bears would be killed anyway. Some have even suggested that selling the permits can result in fewer bears being killed, as trophy hunters are not as successful as native hunters.

While hunting may appear to be the antithesis of conservation, the current laws in Canada allow for sustainable hunting and the preservation of Inuit rights and culture. While polar bears are the poster child of climate change, and their numbers are declining, global figures don't represent what is happening at a local level, In the Canadian province of Labrador, for example, polar bear numbers are the highest they have been for decades.

Polar bear hunting is not legal in the US, by native Alaskans or any other communities; however, trophy hunters can cross the border and hunt bears in Arctic Canada.  In 2008, the US passed a law preventing the import of polar bear artefacts – including skins and skulls. While the intention was good, the law meant that US hunters did not want to hunt bears as they could not bring their bounty home. In 206, 153 bears were killed by trophy hunters; by 2011 this had fallen to 26, with devastating impacts on Inuit communities. Guiding a hunt could allow a hunter to support his extended family. In 2016, following pressure from Inuit campaigners, the ban was overturned.

What you can do
While we don’t advocate hunting as a tourist, visitors to these regions should be aware that it is a traditional way of life – and one which has been sustainable for thousands of years. As a visitor to an Inuit community, the best thing you can do is travel with an open mind, and engage with your hosts to learn more about subsistence living in the Arctic.