The Governance of Protected Areas in Greenland: The Resource National Park among Conservation and Exploitation

On January 2009 the original 18 municipalities have been regrouped into 4. The Qaasuitsup Kommunia includes the original municipalities of Kangaatsiaq, Aasiaat, Qasigiannguit, Ilulissat, Qeqertarsuaq, Uummannaq, Upernavik, and Qaanaaq; the Qeqqata Kommunia includes the original municipalities of Maniitsoq and Sisimiut; the Kommune Kujalleq includes the original municipalities of Nanortalik, Narsaq, and Qaqortoq; Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq which includes the original municipalities of Ivittuut, Paamiut, Nuuk, Ittoqqortoormiit, and Ammassalik (Statistisk Årbog 2010. Nuuk: Grønland Statistik.).

The Kingdom of Denmark is composed of three parts: Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the sustainable use of all of the wetlands in their territories (Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2010).

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival (www.​cites.​org).

Daneborg (12 people) is the headquarters of the Sirius Patrol; Danmarkshavn (8) is a civilian weather station; Station Nord (5) is a military base; Mestersvig (2) is a military outpost with 1,800 m gravel runway; Zackenberg (0) is a summer-only research station can host on average 20 scientists and station personnel; Summit Camp (4) is a research station on the Greenland Ice Sheet (Cf. Statistisk Årbog 2009).

IUCN has defined a series of six protected area management categories, based on primary management objective. Category II National Park: protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation. Definition Natural area of land and/or sea, designated to (a) protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for present and future generations, (b) exclude exploitation or occupation inimical to the purposes of designation of the area and (c) provide a foundation for spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities, all of which must be environmentally and culturally compatible.

Executive Order no. 7 of 17 June 1992 from the Greenland Home Rule Authority concerning the National Park in North and East Greenland, as amended by Executive Order no. 16 of 5 October 1999. In accordance with § 16, Sec. 2 in: Act of Landsting no. 11 of November 12th 1980 on Nature Preservation.

The following are included under permanent stations: Mesters Vig Airport, Ella Ø, Daneborg, Danmarkshavn, Station Nord, Kap Moltke, Brønlundhus (Chapter VIII, § 26). A permanent station includes all buildings and facilities necessary for its operation, incl. lakes and rivers for drinking water supply, harbour, approach zones and air strips on land, lake ice and sea ice, dumps, and the commonly used roads or tracks to the above mentioned localities (Chapter VIII, § 26 Sec. 2).

Greenland Parliament Act no. 7 of December 7, 2009 on Mineral Resources and Mineral Resources Activities.

The Mineral Resources Act, 7/2009. General Explanatory Notes, 5: Consequences for the environment and nature: 29.

The Mineral Resources Act, 7/2009, Explanatory Notes to the individual provisions of the Bill, section 60: 92.

The Mineral Resources Act, 7/2009, Explanatory Notes to the individual provisions of the Bill, section 61: 93.

The first National Park in Denmark was created in 2008, in the north of the Jutland peninsula. Retrived from http://​www.​danmarksnational​parker.​dk

The Convention on Wetlands (signed in Ramsar, Iran, 1971) is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of the Worlds wetlands and their resources (Cf. Egevang and Boertmann 2001).

With the establishing of the new municipalities (Jan 1st, 2009) all these borders have a pure geographical sense, Ittoqqortoormiit and Ammassalik are now part of the municipality of Sermersooq, which comprises also the main town, Nuuk, Paamiut and Ivittuut.

As for the population dynamics in 1990 the total number of the settlement’s inhabitants was 84; in 1994 the number decreased at 40 units and ten years later, in 2004 there were only 9 inhabitants. At the same time, Ittoqqortoormiit in 1990 had 554 inhabitants; in 1994 the number decreased at 524 units, and in 2003 it decreased at 519 and today is equal to 452 (Cf. Statistics Greenland 2013 and other various years).

About the year 1000 A.D. Vikings came to Greenland, and established two settlements in West Greenland, and are known to have used high mountains in East Greenland as landmarks. There is circumstantial evidence of direct contact between the Vikings and the Greenland population of the Scoresby Sound region, in the form of silver buttons and beads found in Inuit graves. The area, as testified by ruins and other archaeological remains, had been home to a dense population of Inuit in the past. William Scoresby senior and his son (also William Scoresby) sailing in East Greenland waters, reported observations of land between 70° and 74°N in their whaling logs in 1817 and 1821. In 1822 Scoresby senior (on the Fame) and Scoresby junior (on the Baffin), together with 20–30 other British whalers, were on numerous occasions close to land. Scoresby junior named Scoresby Sund after his father. Harald Olrik already in 1911 proposed the foundation of a settlement in the unpopulated tracts of Scoresby Sund. The project was brought to realization in 1924 due to the interest and influence of Ejnar Mikkelsen. About 85 Greenlanders arrived in 1925, which is the foundation of Ittoqqortoormiit / Scoresbysund. Houses were built at Kap Stewart, Kap Hope and Kap Tobin for the Greenlander hunters and their families. The settlement was encouraged by the colonial power that at the time had a growing interest in Northeast Greenland, and at the same time, the colonization was intended to improve declining living conditions in Tasiilaq, from where the settlers came mainly from. The settlers (Greenlanders) soon prospered on the good hunting conditions of the new area, which was rich in seals, walruses, narwhals, polar bears and arctic foxes (Tommasini 2011).

Even some activities are allowed. In the specific case the authorities consent some mineral exploitation. For the pit activities even a land strip, now almost abandoned, was constructed in the zone that fall inside the National Park area.

Greenland’s monitoring programs currently include the following: