News of the Canadian government’s intention to explore creation of a new national park in Yukon Territory’s on Gwich’in and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun territory is welcome, say staff at Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.
Lands and waters being considered include the Peel River corridor, Turner Lake Wetlands, and Caribou River, all identified for permanent protection under the 2019 Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan.
If established, the proposed new national park would permanently protect 3,000 square kilometres (1,864 square miles) of rich and diverse landscapes, an area about half the size of Banff National Park. This park would only be created with the full support the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.
“This is an important step forward for protecting the northern anchor of the 3,400-kilometer-long Yellowstone to Yukon region. We applaud this dedication to conservation and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and are proud to be part of it,” says Tim Burkhart, Y2Y’s director of landscape protection.
Almost seven times larger than Yellowstone or Jasper national parks, the Peel watershed is the northern anchor of Yellowstone to Yukon, the world’s most intact mountain region.
The Peel is one of Canada’s largest roadless areas, a major water supply, source of wildlife habitat and area of key cultural significance for many First Nations communities. It is a refuge for grizzly bears, wolverines and the transboundary Porcupine caribou herd, animals which need large, connected landscapes to survive.
“As Canada strives to meet its international promise to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030, conservation successes like this give us all hope,” says Dr. Jodi Hilty, Y2Y’s president and chief scientist. “It is a great feeling to know that a major portion of the northern anchor of the Yellowstone to Yukon region is part of advancing important global conservation.”
This news builds on the agreement from August 2019’s land-use plan for the watershed that covers more than 8.6 per cent of Yukon Territory. Four First Nations and the Yukon Government jointly agreed to designate 83 per cent of the Peel as conservation areas, including parks.
For close to 25 years, Y2Y has been involved in efforts to safeguard the Peel, supporting local partners and advocating for permanent protection. These partners include Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Gwich’in Tribal Council and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, CPAWS-Yukon, Yukon Conservation Society and the Yukon Government.
If created, this national park would be the fourth in Yukon Territory, co-developed and co-managed with Gwich’in Tribal Council and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun. This could be the first new national park in the Yellowstone to Yukon region since 2014 when Nááts’ihch’oh was designated a national park reserve in Northwest Territories.
