Shell Canada has contributed 860,000 hectares (8,625 km2) of offshore rights in the waters of Baffin Bay, near Lancaster Sound, to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which then released the permits to the Government of Canada, with the goal of helping to create a national marine conservation area off the coast of Nunavut. That's an area larger than Banff National Park.
Lancaster Sound is the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage, the legendary corridor through Canada’s Arctic Archipelago.
The land was not used for oil and gas exploration, Shell had not conducted such activities there in nearly 40 years, and there was already a federal proposal for a 44,500 km2 national marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound. The hope is that this donation by Shell, located outside and east of the already proposed boundaries, could clear the way for a larger national marine conservation area.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada applauded Shell and noted the company has contributed more than $6.5 million in financial resources, land and mineral rights to the organization over the past 30 years, and that it made similar gifts to Canadians when it contributed rights to the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, and the Mount Broadwood Heritage Conservation Area.
WWF-Canada also applauded the move. This is in contrast to more nefarious groups, such as Greenpeace, which was recently accused of using Black Hat Internet tactics to punish retailers who did not cave into Greenpeace demands to stop doing business with Canada's largest forest products company, and are now involved in a racketeering lawsuit over their actions.