Aulavik National Park Management Plan and the Tourism Industry

GG-398 Independent Assignment

By: Brendan Graham 100418520

Photo Courtesy of Parks Canada

Aulavik National Park Management Plan and the Tourism Industry

By: Brendan Graham 100418520
GG-398 Independent Assignment
Introduction
Through science, our understanding of the benefits that parks can bring to society, the
economy and the environment has grown astronomically. However, these benefits are often over
looked by government officials and policy makers, leaving park managers without the resources
they need to effectively meet the mandate of Parks Canada. Funding is often allocated to parks
that generate the most income, leaving more remote parks with less money for programs and
management strategies. Aulavik National Park, located on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories, is one of these remote parks. Found on the northern end of the island, Aulavik National
Park protects approximately 12,274 km2 of arctic lowland habitat (Aulavik, 2012). The park is
extremely remote, with very little human development or resource extraction. This essay will
take a critical look at the policy of Aulavik National Park and the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness of the management approach. This analysis will be taken from the perspective of a lobbyist
for the Tourism industry, looking to capitalize on the many opportunities available in the park
and the surrounding Banks Island region. Focus will be specifically placed upon alternative,
nature based tourism as opposed to traditional mass tourism. Remote Parks such as Aulavik do
not generate much revenue, however through development in local tourism businesses, Aulavik
stands a chance at receiving more funding, and becoming one of the prime natural tourism destinations in Canada's arctic.
Why Aulavik?
The selection of Aulavik National park for study stems from the tourist opportunities in
the region. Rich culture and history, breathtaking landscapes, charismatic megafauna and pad-

dling attractions make Aulavik a prime destination for those looking to explore the far reaches of
the country. Similarly, the recently created management plan focuses on maintaining and improv ing upon tourism in the park and the surrounding Banks Island region. An important goal of the
management plan is to increase visitation, improve public awareness as well as reduce traveling
costs. Because of the many recreational opportunities within the park, as well as the recent
policy goals of improving visitation and public awareness, Aulavik is the perfect choice for tourism related policy assessment.
Management Plan: Goals and Objectives
The Aulavik National Park Management Plan of 2012 has 4 main goals or objectives.
Maintaining and Enhancing Visitor Opportunities for Aulavik and the surrounding area, Keeping
Aulavik Healthy and Enduring, Engaging Inuvialuit Settlement Region Communities and Bringing Canadians Closer to Canadas Northern Heritage (Aulavik, 2012). Each objectives effectiveness will be examined in greater detail below.
The first objective, Maintaining and Enhancing Visitor Opportunities for Aulavik and the
surrounding area, focuses on the opportunities that tourists and visitors have when they travel to
Banks Island. The objective has two components; maintaining and enhancing visitor opportunities in Aulavik as well as exploring tourism-related opportunities for Sachs Harbour and Banks Island (Aulavik, 2012). Another consideration of this objective is to lower costs associated with
travel to the island. From a tourism perspective the policy focus being placed on the visitor experience is very exciting. Development of visitor opportunities and a decrease in travel costs
could lead to increased revenue for the tourism businesses that are in the area.This policy is important from a tourism perspective as improving visitor opportunities will likely lead to increased
revenue being generated and more visitors coming to the island. Similarly, decreasing costs asso-

ciated with traveling to the island is another policy that could have a positive impact on the tour ism industry. Visitation to Aulavik is often very low. In the five summers from 2007 through
2011, less than 70 people visited Aulavik (Aulavik, 2012). This is likely caused by the remoteness and high travel costs associated with visiting the island. Lowering the costs of travel will
hopefully increase park visitation. Although effective, lowering costs associated with travel may
be a tad unrealistic. The price of air travel and fossil fuels is always on the rise making it difficult
for policy makers to keep costs down. On top of that, the lowering of costs for the consumer may
increase the operating costs for the tourism industry. The industry believes that while lower costs
would benefit the visitation numbers to the park, the decrease in consumer price must not be
placed on the shoulders of tourism businesses in the area. In conclusion, while effective and beneficial to tourism as a whole, improving visitor opportunities and decreasing travel prices
should not occur at the cost of the Tourism industry, as this may negate any positive implications
brought on by improving visitation numbers.
The second objective is, Keeping Aulavik Healthy and Enduring. Focused on the ecological integrity of the park, this objective looks to manage and monitor park ecosystems and ensure that the integrity of social, cultural and environmental resources is maintained for future
generations. Aulavik is a fragile landscape susceptible to activities originating from both within
and beyond the parks boundaries that can affect ecological integrity (Aulavik, 2012). Similarly,
Aulavik is found in the arctic, which can be very sensitive to impacts from global climate change
(IPCC, 2007). Cultural and Natural resources in the park are all Aulavik really has to offer. Aweinspiring landscapes and rich history and culture are what draw visitors to the park. If these are
not properly monitored and protected, the tourism industry would be greatly impacted. It is very
important that the factors that make Aulavik such an incredible place to visit, are managed and

protected for future generations. The main methodology behind the second objective is the creation of an ecological monitoring program. The goal of this program is to create a a richer scientific foundation for understanding the parks ecological condition as well as protecting both
the parks wildlife and the local cultural heritage. The tourism industry may support this policy,
but questions it's effectiveness. Monitoring such a a large park effectively can be very difficult.
The costs associated with effective monitoring programs is very high (Aulavik, 2012). With
already very little funding, Aulavik may find it difficult to establish such a program. One of the
challenges listed in the management plan is establishing an effective, affordable monitoring program (Aulavik, 2012). Although protecting and monitoring the ecological integrity of the park is
important, the costs may be too high. In conclusion, the tourism industry supports goals and initiatives focused on protecting and monitoring the integrity of the parks social, ecological and cultural resources. However, the effectiveness of this policy is questioned due to the high costs of
monitoring programs and the low funding that Aulavik receives. A Possible solution to the problem may be ensuring programs and management goals are scaled to fit with the available funding
and recent trends in government spending.
Engaging Inuvialuit Settlement Region Communities is the third objective of Aulavik's
National Park Management Plan. Engaging Inuvialuit Settlement Region Communities is concerned with local Inuvialuit and how they view Aulavik park. Park managers want Aulavik to be
seen as a place of importance to the Inuvialuit. Aulavik is more than just a tourist destination for
so many people. The park plays an important role in preserving Inuvialuit cultural identity and
values within a changing northern society (Aulavik, 2012). Currently, many in the Inuvialuit
community are unaware or feel disconnected to Aulavik national park. The third objective focuses on increasing visits to the park for youth throughout the region, further engaging youth in

programs in their schools and communities and increasing involvement of the Inuvialuit people
in park management activities and research (Aulavik, 2012). Involving Inuvialuit communities
into the park and increasing local awareness can be beneficial in many ways. Park agencies have
come to recognize the special contributions that Aboriginal people and communities can make to
Canadas parks and protected areas, in particular the traditional knowledge that Aboriginal
people have of landscapes, ecosystems, wildlife populations and stocks, and cultural heritage
(Aboriginal People and Parks, 2008). This is important from a tourism stand-point, as the cultural heritage and knowledge of the Inuvialuit is a valuable resource for cultural tourism. Development of cultural heritage resources could increase visitor opportunities in the park which in turn
could increase revenue for the local tourism industry.
Similarly, where objective three looks to connect with local Inuvialuit communities, objective four looks to accomplish the same thing with communities across the country. Parks
Canada aims to increase Canadian understanding, appreciation, support and engagement with respect to the natural and cultural heritage of Aulavik National Park (Aulavik, 2012). The objective
is centred around increasing public awareness and understanding of what Aulavik has to offer.
This is supported by the tourism industry, as greater awareness of the park can only be beneficial
to tourism operators. In summary, objective three and four are both supported and viewed as a
success by the tourism industry. Increasing the awareness and connection that the Inuvialuit have
with the park can create greater opportunity for cultural tourism, while improved awareness nation wide could increase the amount of people that consider Aulavik as a travel destination. By
improving awareness, the Aulavik national park management plan can increase opportunities for
both visitors and tourism operators alike.
Recreational and Non-Recreational Activities: Impacts and Solutions

Very important to the tourism industry are the recreational uses and activities in Aulavik
national park. The non recreational uses of the park are not very significant, and are centred
around local Inuvialuit and their right of continued subsistence trapping, hunting and fishing
within the national park boundaries (Aulavik History, 2013). The recreational uses of the park include, hiking, camping, angling and world class paddling opportunities. Many of the cultural
tourism opportunities are tied into recreation, as they must be accessed via canoe or by hiking.
Visitors to Aulavik can expect a rugged wilderness; there are no facilities, services, established
trails or campgrounds in the park. Visitor services are limited to non-existent. Visitors must be
entirely self-sufficient and be able to handle any medical or weather-related emergency on their
own (Aulavik Activities, 2010). Within this rugged wilderness, exists many opportunities for
wildlife and bird watching. The open landscape and continuous sunlight in summer seasons
means you are certain to see a variety of species such as arctic foxes, lemmings, arctic wolves,
shore and sea birds, raptors, and herds of muskoxen (Aulavik Activities, 2010). Similarly, world
class paddling attractions exist in the park. Home to the Thomsen river, the worlds northernmost
navigable river, Aulavik is one of the most breathtaking and must-visit paddling locations on the
planet. Many forms of alternative tourism opportunities exist for nature escapists, ecotourists and
passive players alike. While wildlife viewing and bird watching may be more tailored towards
nature based or wildlife tourism, paddling opportunities and hiking may draw in more adventure
tourism types (Dearden and Rollins, 2009). The wide range of recreational uses of Aulavik national park can positively impact and provide many opportunities for the local tourism industry.
Tourism in Aulavik is not immune to the traditional impacts from the tourism industry
and related recreational activities. Park visitors can often leave behind garbage, hiking can
trample vegetation communities and travelers using from motor vehicles emit carbon into the at -

mosphere (Tourism Impacts, 2014). Aside from these impacts, the recreational uses of Aulavik
national park are very low impact and the tourism industry is relatively sustainable. Motorized
vehicles as well as campfires are prohibited in the park and angling is strictly regulated (Aulavik
Regulations, 2009). The most significant impact the tourism industry has in Aulavik is the risk
nature watching places on wildlife in the region. Wildlife viewing can bring about stress for the
animals and alter their natural behavior when tourists come too close. In some cases, as in
Kenya, it has led to animals becoming so disturbed that at times they neglect their young or fail
to mate (Tourism Impacts, 2014). Because ecological integrity is part of the Parks Canada mandate, it is paramount that wildlife viewing does not negatively impact the fauna of the area. Managers must make park visitors aware of the importance of maintaining a safe distance, and the
dangers and impacts of getting too close.
Visitor Experience: A Crucial Equation
Ensuring a positive visitor experience is paramount to the tourism industry. Tourism operators must ensure that the experience quality exceeds the visitors expectations. This can be expressed by the equation VS=VQ-VE. If experience quality exceeds expectations, visitors will be
satisfied. However if quality is less than expectations, visitors will be dissatisfied (Visitor Satisfaction, 2010). The entire tourism industry relies on people being satisfied with their experience.
If people have an unenjoyable vacation, they are very unlikely to suggest others to go and will
likely never return. Maintaining and Enhancing Visitor Opportunities for Aulavik and the surrounding area is the first objective of the management plan and a key focus of the document. Improving visitor opportunities on Banks Island and improving what Aulavik has to offer for tourism will benefit the quality of visitors experiences and likely lead to increased visitor satisfaction.

Several methods for improving visitor numbers are listed in the policy. The main focus
seems to be around reducing costs for travel, and improving upon Aulavik as a destination for
paddling enthusiasts. By developing the local paddling industry and improving awareness of
Aulavik in paddling groups, visitors may be more likely to choose Aulavik for their canoe or
kayak trip. Visitor numbers are extremely important to the policies within the management plan.
Lower visitor generated income and tourism development means that Aulavik does not get as
much attention or resources as some of the southern, more visited parks. Parks that generate
more money, are likely the ones receiving more funding from the government. Visitor numbers
must increase through lower costs and local paddling developments for Aulavik and the community of Sachs harbour to see greater financial assistance and government resources. Generating more park income can lead to more money for monitoring and management programs to continue protecting ecological integrity on the island.
Park Zoning: Conserving Wilderness
The 2012 Aulavik National Park Management plan contains within it a specified zoning
strategy for the park. The national park zoning system has 5 different classifications of areas
within parks according to their need for protection (Aulavik Zoning, 2012). An Agreement for
the Establishment of a National Park on Banks Island states that the Park shall contain a predominant proportion of Zone I Special Preservation areas and Zone II Wilderness areas (Aulavik,
2012). These zoning areas are determined based upon their landscape types. Currently, only zone
II designation exists within the park due to the vast amounts of wilderness. No Zone I areas are
proposed for Aulavik on the basis that adequate protection and management of natural and cultural resources are in place through Zone II designation (Aulavik Zoning, 2012). Due to low visitation and low impact activities of tourism, the need for zoning in the park is minimal. The man -

agement plan does consider creating a Zone III inside the park in the future. Zone III areas are
managed as natural environments and provide opportunities for visitors to experience a parks
natural and cultural heritage values through outdoor recreation activities requiring minimal services and facilities of a rustic nature (Dearden and Rollins, 2009). As a representative of the tourism industry, the prospect of Zone III areas within Aulavik is exciting. Motorized access would
become allowed and open up opportunity for commercially guided over-snow vehicle tours
(Aulavik, 2012). Although this idea is in circulation, an amendment to the management plan
would be required, and there are no concrete plans to do so in the future.
Visitor Services
As stated previously, visitor services in Aulavik park are almost non-existent. Visitors
must be entirely self-sufficient. There are no facilities, services, established trails or campgrounds in the park. Although there is a visitors center in the community of Sachs Harbour, there
is very little service to be found within the boundaries of the park. As a representative of the
tourism industry, I recommend that zoning changes be made so that a visitor center can be placed
inside the park. Although visitation is currently low, if tourism is to increase and develop in
Aulavik, than the creation of a visitors center in the park may become necessary. Visitor centres
could act as an information and educational hub for tourists, or as a location to organize guided
paddling or nature watching tours. A visitors center within the park would increase the amount
services available and improve the quality of experience for the visitor. Although currently nonexistent, visitor services could be improved in Aulavik by the creation of a service center within
the park.
Local Communities: Inuvialuit in Aulavik

Aulavik is a co-operatively managed park with the local Inuvialuit population. Parks
Canada works closely with the community of Sachs Harbour in the management of Aulavik.
Located on the southwestern shore of Banks Island, Sachs harbour is the only community on the
island and is home to approximately 112 people (Aulavik History, 2013). The community of
Sachs harbour wholeheartedly supports tourism development and requests Parks Canada improve
visitation numbers as well as income being generated by the tourism industry (Aulavik, 2012).
Although Sachs Harbour is against commercial development in the park, they do support tourism
on the basis that it generates income within the community. This section of the management plan
can be improved by greater integration of the community of Sachs harbour with the tourism industry. If Sachs harbour could function as a tourism hub, with improved visitor services, lodging,
equipment rental, guide companies and cultural heritage education centres, than the region would
likely see a greater multiplier effect from the tourism industry. It is paramount that visitors to
Aulavik have access to various services such as rentals or lodging to ensure a greater quality experience and increased visitor satisfaction. Greater integration of the tourism industry with local
Inuvialuit communities could provide this increased satisfaction.
Implementation of Management Goals and Strategies
Within Aulavik's Park Management Plan of 2012, are the methodology and strategy for
each of the four policy objectives. The first policy objective, Maintaining and Enhancing Visitor
Opportunities for Aulavik and the surrounding area, looks to improve upon tourism related services and opportunities in the park. Most of this is achieved through marketing strategies. While
several strategies exist, all revolve around promoting and marketing tourism opportunities across
Canada.

The second policy objective, Keeping Aulavik Healthy and Enduring, is concerned with
protecting ecological integrity within the park. Strategies for the implementation of a new monit oring program as well as increasing scientific research are listed within. Similarly, a recovery
strategy for Peary caribou must be drafted and implemented within the park. These strategies
have the aim of maintaining Aulavik for future generations.
The third policy objective, Engaging Inuvialuit Settlement Communities, focuses on connecting the local Innuvialuit communities with Aulavik Park. Park agencies have come to recognize the special contributions that Aboriginal people and communities can make to Canadas
parks and the important role they can play in management. Working together with local communities, Parks Canada hopes to foster a meaningful connection between the Inuvialuit people
and Aulavik National Park. Programs and initiatives will be created in Sachs Harbour, with the
goal of getting Inuvialuit people more interested and more involved within the park.
The fourth policy objective, Bringing Canadians Closer to Northern Heritage, involves
increased marketing and education for Aulavik National Park. Greater nation wide awareness of
the park is needed to increase visitation numbers. Through education and marketing initiatives,
Parks Canada will promote and increase awareness of Aulavik national park with the hopes of increasing visitation numbers to Banks Island.
In summary, all these objectives and strategies have a common factor. Marketing, promotions, monitoring programs and community programs all have costs and require funding. Aulavik
already receives very little funding when compared to the southern, more visited parks. Implementation of all these new programs and marketing initiatives will be very costly and may not be
within the budget constraints of Aulavik. Finding cost effective solutions for these problems can
be complicated. Although the creation of goals and strategies can be an effective way of protect-

ing and managing parks, if the funding cannot accommodate these strategies, then the management of the park will be ineffective. Although in depth strategies for the policy objectives are listed in the management plan, no financial information is presented. The management goals and
strategies for Aulavik may be good in theory, but the apparent lack of funding will render them
useless. It is recommended that management strategies be scaled down to accommodate current
funding as well as the recent trends in government spending.
Aulavik needs funding and more money to achieve it's lofty policy objectives. This is a
main reason why development in the tourism industry of Aulavik is so paramount. Parks Canada
spending is often allocated to the parks generating the most visitor income. Aulavik must improve upon public awareness of the park as well as improve upon visitation numbers, in order to
effectively implement all of the management strategies listed in the 2012 park management plan.
It is the opinion of the tourism industry that Aulavik should center most of it's funding around
developing tourism services and opportunities in the park. By investing in Aulavik tourism and
drawing more people to the island, increased visitation numbers can help generate the funding
needed to implement the ecological monitoring programs that preserve park integrity and the socio-cultural programs that foster a genuine connection between the Inuvialuit people and the
park.
Summary
Aulavik National Park, created a new park management plan with the goal of providing
clear management direction for Aulavik through a 15-year park vision, creating strategies and
objectives to achieve the vision, and development of 5-year targets to monitor progress. Maintaining and Enhancing Visitor Opportunities for Aulavik and the surrounding area, Keeping
Aulavik Healthy and Enduring, Engaging Inuvialuit Settlement Region Communities and Bring-

ing Canadians Closer to Canadas Northern Heritage are the four main objectives of the management plan. After reading over the management strategies, it is clear that Parks Canada and
Aulavik managers are most concerned with increasing park income while maintaining park integrity. Aulavik national park and it's corresponding management plan is attractive to members of
the tourism industry as all goals and objectives of the park are in some way associated with sustainable use and income generation. Due to it's remoteness and low visitation, it is important that
tourism industry grows and develops in Aulavik to improve quality of experience for the visitor
and increase the number of people visiting the island. The more income that the park can generate, will mean more money can be allocated into park science and monitoring programs that can
aid in the fight against human induced global warming.
Zoning exists within the management plan, but is currently solely focused upon Zone II
or Wilderness designation. The prospect of a Zone III or Natural Environment designation is exciting for those involved in the tourism industry. Inclusion of a Zone III would create more opportunities for different tourism activities, such as snowmobiling. Although still far from implementation, it is recommended that policy makers continue to consider the creation of a Zone III
with the hopes of boosting visitation numbers and tourism revenue for the park.
Visitor experience and satisfaction are extremely important in the tourism industry. The
higher satisfaction a tourist has, the more likely they are to tell others or return again themselves.
It is recommended by those in the tourism industry that more development be placed on visitor
services within the park. The creation of an in park visitor center could increase the amount of
tourism actives in the park and improve upon visitor satisfaction.
Aulavik National Park is co-managed with the local Innuvialuit community of Sachs Harbour. Park agencies have come to recognize the special contributions that Aboriginal people and

communities can make to Canadas parks and protected areas, in particular the traditional knowledge that Aboriginal people have of landscapes, ecosystems, wildlife populations and stocks,
and cultural heritage (Aboriginal People and Parks, 2008). In the park management plan, community members were said to be disappointed with the current revenue generation from tourism
(Aulavik, 2012). Members of the tourism industry recommend that more development be made
in the Innuvialuit community of Sachs Harbour, such as; improved visitor services, lodging,
equipment rental, guide companies and cultural heritage education centres.
Although the tourism industry views the management plan as successful, the implementation of the strategies may prove to be too costly. Improvements and developments of Aulavik
park are proposed in the management plan with no mention of an increase in funding. More
money is needed to support the systems and programs that the management plan calls for. If
Aulavik national park wishes to effectively implement their management strategies, it is recommended that some of the goals and objectives be scaled back to better represent the current
budget and recent trends in government spending.
Conclusion
Most of Aulavik's problems stem from its remoteness. The park will simply just never
achieve the visitation numbers that more accessible, southern parks receive. Because of this low
income generation, and the current trends in government parks spending, it is unlikely that
Aulavik will be seeing any more money in the near future. Although the goals and objectives of
the Aulavik National Park Management plan are extremely beneficial to tourism operators, it is
recommended that many of the strategies and programs be scaled back to better fit the realities of
today's budget. Development in the tourism industry may be the solution. Tourism operators and
park managers must find cost effective ways of improving visitor satisfaction as well as visita-

tion numbers to the park. Remote Parks such as Aulavik do not generate much revenue, however
through development in tourism; Aulavik stands a chance at receiving more funding, and becoming one of the prime wilderness travel destinations in Canada's arctic.

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