The Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) is an Indigenous led

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

located in the

Mi'kmaw The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

community of

Eskasoni The Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation () is a band government of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, located in Unama'ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2021, Eskasoni has a membership of 4,675. Of this population, 3,973 live on-Reserve, and 667 live of ...

on Unama’ki (

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. UINR serves the five Mi'kmaw communities in Unama'ki–

, Membertou,

Potlotek Potlotek First Nation, also known as Chapel Island, is a Mi'kmaq community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the thre ...

, 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'kmaw

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. ...

and overseeing

environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...

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 ...

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'', meaning the use of the natural bounty provided by the Creator for the self-support and well-being of the individual and the community. It is about achieving adequate standards of community nutrition and economic

well-being Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors. ...

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 been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and medieval world. The ...

with Mi'kmaw

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK), folk knowledge, and local knowledge generally refers to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. Traditional knowledge includes ...

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

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the Ministry (government department), department ...

and

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; ) 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 scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

. 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, known as ''Etuaptmumk'', integrates ''Netukulimk'' with traditional and conventional ways of understanding. ''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 Eskasoni First Nation {{NovaScotia-stub