Communities & Conservation - Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

communities & conservation

Communities and wildlife thrive when the needs of both are met. Y2Y engages a wide range of communities for solutions that benefit nature and people. This includes working with residents and decision-makers to support key planning decisions, partnering with recreation and tourism organizations to limit impacts of their industries, and collaborating with local communities to listen, learn, and implement solutions that promote human–wildlife coexistence.

Invested more than $60 million in new community conservation funding across the region to support local projects

our impact

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Invested more than $60 million in new community conservation funding across the region to support local projects

Key

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Yellowstone to Yukon region
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Protected areas
Currently in the Yellowstone to Yukon region, Indigenous communities manage or co-manage more than 25% of the existing protected lands

our impact

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Currently in the Yellowstone to Yukon region, Indigenous communities and governments manage or co-manage more than 25% of existing protected lands including examples in Yukon and Northwest Territories

Key

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Yellowstone to Yukon region
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Peel watershed in Yukon Territory
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Nahanni and Náátsʼihchʼoh National Park Reserve of Northwest Territories
Reduced wildlife-human conflict by helping partners install 37 bear-proof food storage lockers in campgrounds within the Selkirk grizzly bear recovery zone

our impact

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Reduced wildlife—human conflict by helping partners install 37 bear-proof food storage lockers in campgrounds within the Selkirk grizzly bear recovery zone

Key

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Yellowstone to Yukon region
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Selkirk grizzly bear recovery zone

together, we are:

improving management of recreation

to minimize impact on nature while supporting people to enjoy the places and activities they love.

cultivating respect and inclusion

where Indigenous knowledge, relationships, and cultural ties to nature are acknowledged, supported, and shared.

promoting coexistence

to help mountain communities understand, embrace, and adopt practices that promote harmonious coexistence with wildlife.

guiding decision-making

in planning development that limits sprawl, prioritizes wildlife connectivity, and supports communities that are in harmony with nature and social well-being.

featured success stories

Bear tracks to coexistence

Across the Yellowstone to Yukon region, we’re helping mountain communities understand, embrace, and expand practices that promote safety, coexistence and harmony between people and wildlife. 

How do communities in bear country minimize conflicts?

For many living in the Yellowstone to Yukon region the phrases ‘bear-safe’, ‘bear-smart’, ‘bear-wise’, and ‘wildlife-wise’ are familiar. But what does it mean to have a community coexist harmoniously and minimize conflicts with bears, especially grizzlies?