The Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

located in the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

community of Eskasoni on Unama’ki (

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. UINR serves the five Mi'kmaq communities in Unama'ki– Eskasoni, Membertou,

Potlotek Potlotek First Nation, also known as Chapel Island, is a Mi'kmaq, Mi'kmaw community in northeastern Nova Scotia. The community is situated in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2022, the First Nation has approximately 800 band members livin ...

, Wagmatcook, and Waycobah. Since its formation in 1999, the UINR Board of Directors has been made up of the five Unama’ki Chiefs. UINR is responsible for Mi'kmaq

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

and overseeing

environmental issues Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

in Cape Breton. Education of and enforcing policies for commercial fisheries, forestry services, and

resource management In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective development of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include the financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or i ...

are among UINR's primary duties. Further areas of focus include aquatic research and stewardship, native species management, traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge, conserving all protected areas, monitoring of water quality, and establishing environmental partnerships. The guiding principle that directs all of the work at UINR is a concept called ''Netukulimk'', a

word that loosely means 'sustainability'. It is about achieving adequate standards of community nutrition and economic

well-being Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...

without jeopardizing the integrity, diversity or productivity of our environment. UINR's integration of

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

with Mi'kmaq

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. According to the World Intellectual Property Organ ...

, practice and understanding is what makes UINR unique. UINR has signed Memorandum of Understandings to work together with many organizations including

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

and

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...

. As stated on the UINR official website, the three goals of the organization are '' governance'', ''two-eyed seeing'', and ''partnerships''. The goal of ''governance'' lies in making networks for support and policy-enforcement available, to enable equal participation of Mi’kmaq in natural resource management, in Unama’ki and traditional territory. ''Two-eyed seeing'' is the continual strengthening of Mi’kmaw research and natural resource management, coming from the perspective of traditions and Mi’kmaw world views. ''Partnerships'' simply means to network with other groups who share similar goals, of conserving and protecting all natural resources for future generations.

References

Environmental organizations based in Nova Scotia Natural resources organizations Non-profit organizations based in Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq in Canada {{NovaScotia-stub