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Greenland

Essential communication in a new age

Use of nature guides is a way of encouraging debate on Greenland's environment and resources.

"Seal hunting - that's something schoolchildren like to learn about," says Îsâvaraq Petrussen, who is the nature guide in Nuuk (Godthåb). He is a qualified primary and lower secondary school teacher. After teaching for 10 years, he underwent further training at the Danish University of Education. He then saw a job ad in "Grønlandsposten" for a nature guide, applied and got the job.

Hunting trip

There are five schools in Nuuk. The nature guide works mainly with remedial classes, i.e.pupils that do not fit in in normal classes. He concentrates on remedial classes because they are small and there is not much room in the boats. On the hunting trip, he takes the children into Godthåbsfjord and south of Nuuk. It is mostly boys that take part. When a seal has been shot, the boat sails to an island and anchors up there. The seal is taken up onto the beach and cut up, the innards being thrown away. "While that is going on we talk about food chains, about whether there are hunting quotas for certain animals and about conservation." When the children come again they can continue working on the subject of the Greenland seal in school and cook food at school.

Îsâvaraq Petrussen says, "I began working as a nature guide in August 1999 and have been on a sealing trip like that every week in October and November. They have all been wonderful trips.

The sailing season largely ends in the middle of December. Then one can go ptarmigan hunting in the mountains behind here," says Îsâvaraq, pointing over his shoulder. "I am going to try that this year."

The water cycle

This autumn the nature guide arranged trips to the local waterworks, where water is cleaned and checked. The waterworks staff tell the children about the substances they put in the water and how the water is piped to households and factories. "I usually take the children out to a vantage point from which we can see all the elements of the water cycle in the Nuuk district: the clouds, the lake, the waterworks, the town." At the same time, the nature guide tells the children about traces of the Ice Age in the landscape, about the gigantic rock in the middle of everything - where did that come from? The answer: the Ice Age brought it.

Environmental debate

The Danish Ornithological Society has established a local group in Nuuk. The Worldwide Wildlife Fund has gone out of it way to please by paying a visit to Greenland. The Danish Society for the Conservation of Nature, the Danish hunting associations, etc. are trying to gain a foothold in Greenland. What is the best way of promoting debate about the environment in Greenland?

There is already an association for amateur hunters. They are interested in hunting reindeer and musk oxen. They are involved in the debate about the number of reindeer and musk oxen that may be shot. They have also had their say about the beluga and narwhale quotas and intervened in the debate on hunting guillemot.

It used to be only the local professional fishermen's organisation KNAPP that held public debates in the community centres.

Îsâvaraq Petrussen says, "When I was a child, our family used to go char fishing for six weeks every summer. Salted char, dried char, smoked char. Nobody does that much any more. A time will probably come when ordinary folk want to discuss these topics."

In other words, an argument for nature guides in the growing towns around the coast. This message is being sent to the Greenlandic Cabinet right now.

The Danish Outdoor Council, the Home Rule Government and Nuuk Municipality are pay the salary of Greenland's first nature guide.

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