Hunting and tourism in Greenland: Conflict or mutual benefit

Hans Meltofte, D.Sc., chief scientist on the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment

Tourism is one of the industries that Greenland will have to live from in the future. This should be clear after the less than 'encouraging' prospects for mineral resource opportunities that were reached in the analysis of future income possibilities presented in the report To the benefit of Greenland. But to build and sustain a robust tourist sector there must be rich and reasonably human-tolerant wildlife populations and groupings to enjoy. Icebergs, deep fjords and picturesque villages are not enough, if you want to attract an affluent international audience. This means that Greenland's once-large populations of several key species must be restored, so that bird cliffs with tens of thousands of guillemots/murres and haul-out sites with hundreds of walruses and harbor seals again can benefit both tourism and sustainable hunting. To be successful, this requires prudent action plans – and not least that the rules in those plans are respected.