The food security of the Inuit in times of change: alleviating the tension between conserving biodiversity and access to food

Applying an environmental justice approach to the complex relationships between biodiversity conservation and Canadian Inuit food security, this article argues that the achievement of food security in the rapidly changing environment of the Arctic requires that the Inuit should have increased agency in global, national, regional and local decision-making processes related to biodiversity conservation initiatives that potentially compromise Inuit food economies. Guaranteeing the Inuit an effective voice in environmental decision- making processes would reduce the risk of adopting conservation measures ill-adapted to their food systems and, simultaneously increase local support for biodiversity conservation laws and policies, fostering, as a result, both increased flexibility in natural resources management and enhancing the capacity of the Inuit to adapt to shifting environmental conditions.