In Tuvaijuittuq, the ice never melts.

“When you’re there it’s very quiet. It’s so beautiful. When you’re on the ice it feels so solid, like concrete,” says Paul Okalik, the senior adviser for Arctic conservation at the World Wildlife Fund and former premier of the Canadian province Nunavut.

Now the far northern Canadian Arctic region is set to remain pristine thanks to an agreement reached between the Canadian government and Qikiqtani Inuit Assocation (QIA).

“Freezing any new human activities will help ensure the ice that never melts will remain true to its name,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Thursday press conference in the Nunavut city of Iqaluit.

Countries vary in their definitions of what constitutes a Marine Protected Area (MPA). In