system thinking: ecozones in canada

10/21/2014
SYSTEM THINKING:
ECOZONES IN CANADA
WHY STUDY CANADA’S ECOZONES?
Ecozones in Canada
OVERVIEW:
Why Study Canada’s Ecozones?
SHOWYOUKNOW
1. What is an ecozone?
2. a) Which ecozone do you live in?
b) List three (3) ways that humans interact with the
environment in your ecozone.
3. If you could live in a different Canadian ecozone, which
one would you chose? Explain your answer.
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
The Pacific Maritime Ecozone:
•
forest covered coastal mountains
& marine (salt-water) islands
•
Mt. Waddington (4000m), B.C.'s
highest mountain
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
The Pacific Maritime Ecozone
•
Pacific Ocean's ‘Ring of Fire’, a region where volcanoes &
earthquakes are common
•
world's longest & deepest fjords
Mt. Waddington, BC
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FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
Climate
Bountiful Riches
•
warmest & wettest region
•
temperate rainforests
•
little variation (change) in
temperature season to season
•
largest & oldest trees
•
annual precipitation 600 - 3000mm
•
old-growth forests: Douglas
fir, Sitka spruce, western red
cedar
•
2000 years old
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
Bountiful Riches (con’t)
Wildlife in the Pacific Maritime Ecozone
•
Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island
•
•
Douglas fir, 85m
•
world’s largest of its kind
large mammals: black-tailed deer, cougars & grizzly bears
black-tailed deer
cougar
grizzly bear
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
Wildlife in the Pacific Maritime Ecozone
•
evolved on islands
•
Kermode bear, a species of black bear that has turned white
•
sacred, Kitasu First Nation, ‘Spirit Bears’
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
Wildlife in the Pacific Maritime Ecozone
• abundance of birds
tuffed puffin
bald eagle
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FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
Marine Zones
• support many species
sea otter
Although the Pacific Maritime Ecozone is rich in wildlife, we must
remember that each organism in the environment depends heavily
on a healthy forest and clean surrounding waters to survive!
orca whale
harbour seal
beluga
whale
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What makes the coastal region of British Columbia so special?
SHOWYOUKNOW….
1. List four (4) facts about the Pacific
Maritime Ecozone that would prove that
it is a unique region in Canada.
2. All parts of an ecozone are interrelated.
How do the forests depend on the
physical environment to survive? How
does the wildlife depend on the forests to
survive?
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
•
popular for immigrants & tourists
•
First Nations peoples e.g., Haida,
Tsimshian & Nootka
•
relies on abundant forest & wildlife,
& continue this relationship with
the environment today!
•
‘leaders’ in conservation
practices
3. Using two (2) climate factors shown on the
climate graph, account for the climate of
Prince Rupert British Columbia.
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
Environmental Stress
• most of the population lives in the southern part of this ecozone
urban development:
- expanding population: houses, roads, shopping malls, parking lots
Environmental Stress (con’t)
forestry/ pulp and paper industries:
- cut at a rapid (fast) rate
- > 2 million hectares
- temperate rainforest clear-cut
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FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
Environmental Stress
Since the old-growth forests act as the
backbone of the ecosystem, their
destruction has had an enormous
impact on all other parts of the
environment.
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
Alternatives
•
water-based recreational activities: sea kayaking &
whale-watching
•
tourists travel from all over the globe to spot an orca or to
watch endangered sea otters
Will the forest industry have to change
the way it harvests & cares for these
forests so that less harm will be done
to the environment of this ecozone?
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION http://74.54.116.9/
FOCUS ON: THE PACIFIC MARITIME ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
How is the focus of resource development in this ecozone shifting?
Protecting the Spirit Bear
•
Spirit Bear Protection Area
•
partnership between federal &
BC’s governments, First Nations,
& community groups
SHOWYOUKNOW…
1. Identify three (3) key ways in which humans interact with the environment in
this ecozone.
2. Create a plus-minus chart for harvesting the temperate rainforests.
3. Read the graph below carefully & predict what might happen to each of the
lines over the next 50 years. Explain why you think this will happen.
Should more be done?
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
A Solid Foundation
 largest ecozone
 stretches across the centre of
the country
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
A Solid Foundation (con’t)
 landscape is a rich mosaic of exposed rock,
large forests & countless lakes
 Canadian Shield made of
volcanic rock. e.g.,
 granite
 metamorphic gneiss
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FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
A Solid Foundation (con’t)
Climate: A Challenging Environment
 last ice age, Shield - scratched by the
 cold, dry winters & cool summers; moderate rainfall (same
amount throughout the year)
 giant boulders picked up & carried
 farther north you travel, more challenging the environment
massive glaciers
in the ice as the glaciers flowed over
the land
becomes for plants & animals
 glaciers retreated (10 000 ya) -
gouges in bedrock were carved by
these boulders
 1000s of lakes are depressions left
behind by the glacier
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
Coniferous Forests
Coniferous Forests (con’t)
jack pine:
 90% - boreal coniferous forest
 forest fires caused by lightning
 black spruce, jack pine & balsam
strikes - needs heat of a fire to
open its cones & spread its
seeds
fir - tolerate these harsh
conditions
black spruce:
 seedlings (baby trees) grow well in
the burnt, nutrient-rich soil
 extremely hardy - boggy (wet,
muddy) & acidic soils
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
What are the characteristics of Canada’s largest ecozone?
Coniferous Forests (con’t)
Canada's best-known large mammals live here:
beaver
moose
mink
SHOWYOUKNOW…
black bear
1. How have glaciers affected the
landscape of the Canadian Shield?
2. Read the climate graph on the left.
Explain how this climate would limit
the types of natural vegetation that
could grow in this ecozone.
3. Look at the painting shown left. Write a
brief description of the landscape based
on the artist's view of the Boreal Shield.
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FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Resource Rich!
 First Nations peoples - lived here for centuries
Forestry
 lakes & rivers provided:
 south – mixed-wood forests
 north - coniferous trees
- transportation routes
 pulp and paper & lumber industry
- access to forest & animal resources
 6 /100 jobs boreal forest industry
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Mineral Resources
Mineral Resources (con’t)
 metallic minerals - gold, silver, copper &
 single-industry towns
nickel
 $12.5 billion to Canada’s economy (2004)
 settlements exist due to extraction
industries
gold
nickel
silver
copper
depend on these resources for
their survival!
e.g., a mine or pulp & paper mill
closes = people cannot buy
things they need; without
customers buying goods &
services, businesses cannot
stay alive
Nickel mine in
Sudbury, ON.
Example of an
single-industry
town
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Water Resources
 rivers, dammed for hydroelectricity
 23 generating stations - Ontario rivers
Getting Away from It All
 tourism: canoeing, camping, other ecotourism
 proposed mega-dam, Nelson River
 an outfitter will equip you with all the gear you
++ Manitoba's power production 25%
Social & environmental costs are being
weighed carefully against the potential
economic gains of the project
need to enjoy an adventure in the wilderness:
 food, maps, a guide
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FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
Getting Away from It All
Getting Away from It All
 come hunt & fish
- white-tailed deer, moose & black bears
- walleye, northern pike & largemouth bass
 significant $$$ - northern economy
FOCUS ON: THE BOREAL SHIELD ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Which natural resources does this ecozone provide?
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
SHOWYOUKNOW
1. What are some of the natural resources of
the Boreal Shield?
Mixedwood Plains
 most attractive and productive
 gently rolling lowlands shaped in the last ice age
2. Read the map on the right. If a dam were
built in this area, what impact do you think
it would have on the local natural & human
environment?
3. A single-industry town in northern
Manitoba has just learned that the local
copper mine will be closing down in six to
eight years. What new industries could be
established in the area to help keep the
town alive?
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
Mixedwood Plains (con’t)
 continental glaciers retreated (11 000 ya)
The Escarpment and Great Lakes System
 left behind huge deposits of sand, clay & gravel
 Niagara Escarpment (400 - 500 mya) Niagara Falls west &
north to Bruce Peninsula & Manitoulin Island.
 across hills & valleys, you are driving over glacial
 rim, ancient sea - fossil seashells
deposits called moraines & drumlins
The Niagara Escarpment,
Bruce Peninsula, ON
Eureka Drumlin Field
Oak Ridge Moraine is a unique landform in Southern ON. It
is 180km of river valleys, rolling hills were formed by
advancing & retreating glaciers 12,000ya
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FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
Climate: Hospitable Habitat
 glacial deposits, flat plains & climate
= excellent growing conditions
The Escarpment (con’t)
• Great Lakes & the St. Lawrence River
• Great Lakes holds 20% of the world's fresh water
 warm summers, cold winters
 moderate amounts of precipitation
year round
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
Climate: Hospitable Habitat
 native species: white pine, eastern hemlock, red oak, sugar
maple
1. The Great Lakes
 forest covered with small, isolated pockets (areas) standing
between agricultural & urban areas today
 wetlands drained for urban & agricultural expansion
white-pine
Wildlife Under Stress
Human activity seriously threatens the survival of wildlife!
eastern hemlock
red oak
 once had healthy fish stocks
 BUT intense (heavy) commercial
fishing & destruction of habitat =
decline
2. native species
 e.g., white-tailed deer, black bears,
beavers, countless songbirds
sugar maple
 must adapt to living in smaller forests
Wildlife has been forced to look for
food & living space in our cities
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How can we describe Canada’s southern most ecozone?
How do we use the land in this populated region?
SHOWYOUKNOW…
1. Create a web diagram that shows five (5)
physical features of the Mixedwood
Plains Ecozone.
First Nations peoples understood the value of the region & made
large, permanent settlements here long before Europeans arrived.
2. Plants can grow when the temperature
goes above 5°C. Using the climate
graph on the right, calculate the
number of months in the growing
season for this region.
3. In what ways do you think human
activities have affected wildlife in the
Mixedwood Plains Ecozone?
Quebec
MohawkCity,
village
Quebec
Algonkian village
Mohawk
Montreal,
longhouse
Quebec
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FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How do we use the land in this populated region?
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURUAL ENVIRONMENT
How do we use the land in this populated region?
Competing Uses
Heavy Population
 most populated region in Canada; 3 out of the 4 - largest cities
 settlements continues to expand
 extreme stress on environment = habitat destruction & pollution
 best agricultural soil BUT is covered by
roads
 Niagara Peninsula, most intensively
cultivated area - orchards /vineyards
ISSUES: Between urban development vs. the
need to protect agricultural & natural land
Ottawa, Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURUAL ENVIRONMENT
How do we use the land in this populated region?
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURUAL ENVIRONMENT
How do we use the land in this populated region?
Tourism Opportunities
• ‘commercial centre’ - urban centres
attract business travelers
– e.g., Toronto, Montreal
“Cottage Country”
• arts & entertainment business
– e.g., live theatre, music & art
galleries
 growing fast = demand for:
• Niagara Falls, top tourist destination!
- & local wineries = visitors
 towns outside the cities rely heavily on
tourists spending their money there
 year-round roads, hydro-electric
power, cell phone service, other
comforts of home
• local fairs/ festivals, attract vacationers
FOCUS ON: THE MIXEDWOOD PLAINS ECOZONE –
THE NATURUAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How do we use the land in this populated region?
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
SHOWYOUKNOW…
Where? Along coast of Newfoundland & Labrador, south to
the coast of Nova Scotia & far out into the Atlantic Ocean.
1. List four (4) competing land uses in the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone.
2. Why do you think this region is so densely populated?
Give three (3) reasons.
3. Should more of this ecozone be used for roads & housing? Explain
your answer.
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FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
Iceberg Alley
 spring, icebergs break off from large glaciers of Greenland &
Canada's Arctic and float south
 deep water (up to 1000m deep)
“offshore zone”
 underneath “inshore zone”- sedimentary rock (100 - 150mya)
 the coast “inshore zone” follows
 oil and natural gas reserves
the continental shelf
 Grand Banks: depth, 150m
 attracting many species of fish
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
When Warm & Cold Collide (con’t)
When Warm & Cold Collide
 mixing cold & warm currents = important
 (Mexican) Gulf Stream
Why? nutrients lie on the sea floor - stirred up & become food for
marine animals:
 warm ocean travels north along
the coast of North America
 cold Labrador Current + warm
Gulf Stream =
Atlantic
lobster
dense fogs
 Both fogs & icebergs - extremely
dangerous for ships
Atlantic
snow crab
northern
cod
Greenland
halibut
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
How do natural systems combine to form a unique marine environment?
Marine Animals
SHOWYOUKNOW…
 grey seals, harbour porpoises, humpback whales
1. Explain why this part of the ocean is called Iceberg Alley.
 ‘inshore zone’ area - seabirds
2. Use examples to explain how the Gulf Stream affects this ecozone.
 e.g., Atlantic puffins & gannets
3. Create a chart comparing the inshore & offshore regions of this
marine ecozone.
Offshore region
Inshore region
Gannets
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FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
Human interaction with the environment has been linked with fishing…
stern-side of a trawler
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
The Fate of the Cod Fishery
The Fate of the Cod Fishery
 staple species, economy $$$ built around
the cod fishery
 1992, Canada banned cod fishing - NO FISHING ALLOWED!
 BUT… cod stocks have almost disappeared!
 In time, the cod stocks will renew themselves… BUT very unlikely to
happen - too much damage to the marine habitat
WHY:
 charged foreign vessels with illegally fishing
1. efficient (or improved) technologies; and
2. disregard for sustainable fishing practices
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
Turbot War: Canada vs. Spain
Hope for the Future
 1995, Spanish trawler - cut its trawl net & fled
 offshore oil & natural
gas brings jobs and
wealth
 Canadian Fisheries Patrol vessel fired a machine gun across
the bow of the ship and later escorted to St. John’s
 Hibernia & Terra Nova
oil deposits = $5.5 billion
for the economy
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FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
FOCUS ON: THE ATLANTIC MARINE ECOZONE –
THE HUMAN CONNECTION
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
How do people live in this marine ecozone?
Non-Renewable Resources Run Out!
 fossil fuels are non-renewable resources
 great prosperity BUT will eventually run out
ISSUE: Is it possible (once again) to
depend on the renewable fish stocks?
SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW…
1. Identify the renewable & non-renewable resources in this ecozone.
2. Read the table on the right. How has the annual
cod catch changed since the beginning of the
government ban?
3. Evaluate the use of a fishing ban on the protection
of fish stocks. Explain your answer.
4. Make a chart that relates resources to jobs in
this ecozone. Your chart should list three (3) resources & at least one job related
to each resource. Your chart should look like this:
Resource
Job(s)
fish
Fish packer
Land of the Midnight Sun

1/7th of Canada's landmass

lowlands:
•

large areas covered with rock debris left behind
continental glaciers
high latitudes:
• winter, near total darkness
 dark, twilight sky
• summer, “midnight sun”
• work and play outside
Land of the Midnight Sun: Climate

extremely cold & dry

snow in any month of the year

WINTER
@ 12:00 NOON!
“Tropicana Sun”
starts (Sept) stays on the
ground (June)
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Arctic Desert (con’t)
Arctic Desert (con’t)
•
no reptiles or amphibians
•
very few insect species

20 (largest) mammal species:
mosquitoes and flies swarm around
anything that lives & breathes!
•
polar bear
muskox
caribou
Arctic Desert (con’t)
Plant Life in the Arctic

adapt to winter conditions by turning white

perennials: ‘grow back’ every year

“camouflage” – to hide from their predators

grow close to the ground
arctic fox
arctic ermine
Arctic moss
Plant Life in the Arctic (con’t)

permafrost, ground that is frozen all year long

top few cm “active layer”, soil that thaws each summer

limits ability of plants to establish roots

area is boggy and floods
Arctic lichen
Arctic poppy
SHOWYOUKNOW…
1. a) Look at the diagram right & explain in your own words why the
area receives so little sunlight in the winter.
b) Explain how this might affect people & plants in the region.
2. Why is this ecozone considered fragile? Be sure to think about
climate, vegetation & soils.
3. Using evidence from the climate graph of
Iqaluit explain why this region is called an
arctic desert.
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Inuit
Inuit Settlements

26 separate communities

hunting, trapping, fishing

‘harvesting’ economy

Nunavut is Inuktitut, "our land"

youngest population in Canada
NOT accessible over
land: everything is
brought in
by airplane,
helicopter, or by
ship
Resource Frontier

mineral exploration = $150 million

diamond, gold companies
Diavik diamond mine
Challenges faced by the Inuit
1. permanent road system:
- build an all-weather road
Ekati diamond mine
Challenges faced by the Inuit
2. larger seaports:
- to move goods from Canada & worldwide
Ice road is built
every year
between
Nunavut &
Manitoba
Northeast coast of
Baffin Island, Nunavut
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Challenges faced by the Inuit
Challenges faced by the Inuit
3. airstrips:
4. permafrost problem:
- to accommodate more flights & modern planes
- difficult for building houses, sewers, etc.
Airstrip in Iqaluit, Nunavut
Challenges faced by the Inuit
Tourism in the North
5. telecommunications:
- telephones, television, radio & the Internet

national & territorial parks

tourism is growing
Polar Bear Pass
- satellites are very $ expensive to maintain
Inuit family
inside an igloo
Tourism in the North (con’t)
Tourism in the North (con’t)
Why? The Inuit culture and
natural beauty of the land
attracts tourists world-wide.

sport hunting, fishing
e.g., walrus
“subsistence whale hunt"
ice fishing
traditional seal hunt
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10/21/2014
Tourism in the North (con’t)

ecotourism & adventure tours: sea kayaking, spring
scuba diving under the ice, dogsled expeditions
Tourism in the North (con’t)

Outfitter: will support you on an expedition to the
North Pole!
Dog team: Inuit musher
SHOWYOUKNOW
1. List four (4) characteristics of the daily life of
people in Nunavut.
2. Using examples, list three (3) ways the natural
environment is important to the people of this
ecozone.
3. In your opinion, why is Nunavut so popular with
southern & international tourists? What would
attract you to this land?
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