Protected areas
There are 12 protected areas in Greenland. Melville Bay has been a nature reserve since 1989, for the protection of beluga whales, narwhals, seals and polar bears. In the west of the country, the 91.9 km² site known as Paradise Valley (Arnangarnup Qoorua) has also been listed since 1989. Fishing and hunting are prohibited. The Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Studied for over 250 years, the site has enriched our understanding of climate change and the glaciology of the ice cap. The agricultural landscape of Kujataa, in the south, is also a World Heritage Site.
The National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni nunaeqqissisimatitaq) contains the whole of north-east Greenland north of Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresby Sound), stretching from Knud Rasmussen Land in the north to Mestersvig at
in the east. Its 18,000 km coastline includes the two highest parts of the largest ice cap in the Northern Hemisphere. The Greenland ice sheet is up to 3,000 m thick in places. It accounts for 10% of the world's freshwater and is the source of the icebergs that dot the fjords and the Greenland Sea. This is the world's most northerly park, recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977. It boasts a unique fauna, with a population of 5,000 to 15,000 musk oxen - almost 40% of the world population of this species - as well as numerous polar bears in the coastal regions. Staying in the area requires a special permit issued by the Ministry of Housing, Nature and Environment, which must be applied for at least one year in advance. Forms can be filled in online on the government website www.naalakkersuisut.gl, under Travel activities in remote parts of Greenland.
The municipality of Narsarsuaq is home to Greenland's only arboretum, located not far from the airport on Mellemlandet Ridge. This 150-hectare "arctic" garden features over a hundred species of trees and shrubs planted since its creation in 1954. Fifteen hectares are open to the public. It is highly recommended to venture out for a few hours. This
forest serves above all as a scientific observatory for monitoring the impact of global warming on certain species. According to a team of scientists, it is highly likely that by 2100, the areas covered by trees and shrubs will be far more extensive than they are today.
In Nuuk, theNature Institute, located on the hills overlooking the capital, is the unprecedented custodian of 300 years of scientific research on the Arctic.
The aim is to advise on how to protect this pristine nature and to educate politicians, children and tourists on how to respect Greenland's Arctic environment, as well as ensuring sustainable use of available natural resources. What's more, the modern, all-wood architecture is truly beautiful. You can send your whale photo to the Nature Institute to help researchers, and also learn what species you saw.
Hunting and fishing, traditional activities
When it comes to environmental protection, wildlife preservation regularly puts Greenland in the spotlight. The hunting of seals, whales or polar bears remains the subject of much controversy, not least due to the intervention of celebrities opposed to seal hunting. Perhaps it's worth pointing out here that seals are not endangered in Greenlandic waters, but above all that hunting is an integral part of the cultural identity of Greenlanders, who are mainly of Inuit origin. They hunt with respect both for food and also sometimes to use the skins of their game.
In 2015, WWF was one of the first environmental organizations to open an office in Greenland, in Nuuk. Among other things, the organization set up a program to prevent bears coming to town in Ittoqqortoormiit, in the east of the country. A patrol, run in conjunction with the local community, patrols the town daily during the most critical months to ward off any bears that might wish to enter. The aim is to prevent the population from shooting them to protect themselves.
The nuclear waste controversy
In 1953 - Greenland was then a colony of Denmark - the Americans built the Camp Century base, officially a research center, but in reality used to store nuclear missiles at the height of the Cold War. The site of this project, called Iceworm, was abandoned in 1960, following minimal clean-up. The United States believed that the waste - 200,000 liters of fuel oil and 240,000 liters of wastewater, as well as the mobile nuclear reactor's containment vessel - would remain forever buried under the ice. Rising temperatures have brought this critical issue to the fore. The Danish and Greenlandic governments set up a monitoring program in 2017. This waste could come to pollute the entire region in the coming decades. Even if the risk is not imminent, it is real. Neither the United States nor Denmark have agreed to pay for the cleanup of the site. Greenland has lodged a complaint with the UN.
Energy and waste: progress to be made
While Denmark is often presented as a top performer on environmental issues, this does not apply to Greenland. Hydropower accounts for the majority of local electricity production, but is only second in terms of energy consumption, far behind imported gas and oil, with a very costly ecological impact. In recent years, however, solar panels have been installed in the most remote villages. As for waste management, it is problematic. Residents and visitors are generating more and more waste, but there is no recycling system. The majority of waste is burned in polluting incinerators, while the rest is dumped in open-air dumps without any sorting.
Booming tourism
Tourism activity in Greenland increased by 10% between 2014 and 2017, by 3% in 2018 and by 9% in 2023 (the country's best year ever), according to the Visit Greenland tourist board. Expanded runways at Nuuk and Ilulissat are planned by 2025, as is a new airport in the south at Qaqortoq. For some, it's an opportunity for economic development. Others worry about the ecological impact. It will also depend on the attitude of tourists. A few simple recommendations: respect nature and don't throw away your paper, packaging or cigarette butts. Carry a plastic bag with you so that you can put your garbage directly into it when you go for a walk. And be sure to burn your toilet paper on a stone.
