A wilderness treaty for the Arctic: Svalbard to the Inuit Nunaat, defining a sovereign wilderness

Abstract

Given the inherent endemism of the High Arctic and the proclivity of nations to vie over control of its lands and waters, the arrival of a treaty, which places protection of the endemic environment at its core, would be timely. The Arctic environment is changing, together with its identity as the home of indigenous peoples that are part of a contemporary reformulation of sovereignty. Treaty-formulation, which places the geography of the Arctic at its centre, also centralises her regional endemism and interconnectedness, a vital starting point for regional treaty-building.