The Government of Greenland has just declared a new West Greenland National Park, which covers an area of 22,250 km² bordering the inland ice cap extending towards the coast. It extends from just north of Kangerlussuaq (67°04’N) all the way north to the southern part of Disko Bay (68°41’N) and will come into force from 1 June 2026. This is the first national park created in Greenland in more than 50 years and the first developed and designated by the Greenlandic people themselves. The purpose is to preserve the area’s nature and landscapes for future generations and ensure that citizens can continue their traditional uses of the area, while allowing tourism to develop to the benefit of local communities. The spectacular scenery ranges from the glaciers and the ice sheet edge over recently exposed land to the more mature coastal landscapes along West Greenland’s deep fjord systems. The varied landscape supports a rich biodiversity, including several rare and endangered species, as well as many species that have been the traditionally used by Greenlanders for centuries. The West Greenland National Park in particular is designated to protect the vulnerable populations of Harbour Seal Phoca vitulina, moulting sea ducks, calving Caribou Rangifer tarandus and of course most important for us, the summering breeding and moulting concentrations of Greenland White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons flavirostris. The majority of the work carried out by the Government of Greenland to designate the West Greenland National Park was funded by the European Union’s Green Growth Programme, which helps to protect biodiversity and develop sustainable initiatives in Greenland. You can read more about the National Park in the official press release (here in Danish and translated here in English) and see the full extent of the proposed boundary in this map above.
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