Rejection of Arctic mine expansion bid offers hope for narwhal population

Conservationists and Inuit community relieved at decision on Canadian iron mine that threatened extirpation' of cetacean

The expansion of an iron ore mine in the Arctic that would have increased shipping and led to the complete extirpation of narwhal" from the region has been blocked.

After four years of consultations and deliberations, the Nunavut Impact Review Board rejected a request from Baffinland Iron Mines Corp asking to significantly increase mining on the northern tip of Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. The area is home to one of the world's richest iron ore deposits, and the densest narwhal population in the world.