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RBC becomes the first Canadian bank to rule out funding for Arctic Refuge drilling
Whitehorse, Yukon – The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) announced today that it will withhold financing for oil and gas extraction in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. RBC is the first Canadian bank to enact a policy on the Arctic Refuge, following the lead of major banks in the United States and overseas. RBC’s commitment comes at an important moment in the decades-long campaign to protect the Arctic Refuge. The banking industry is increasingly distancing itself from drilling in the Arctic Refuge, even as the U.S. Government pushes to hold a lease sale there. Last month Gwich’in and environmental groups filed two lawsuits challenging the U.S. Government’s approval of oil leasing.
In its policy RBC recognizes the “particular ecological and social significance and vulnerability” of the Arctic Refuge, and confirms that the bank “will not provide direct financing for any project or transaction that involves exploration or development in the [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge].”
The move follows meetings last December between Canada’s largest banks and representatives from the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Yukon Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS Yukon). Even though the Arctic Refuge is situated in Alaska, it is critically important to Canada. The Refuge is the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd, which in turn sustains Gwich’in communities across northern Yukon, NWT and Alaska. The Gwich’in know the Arctic Refuge as “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.”
“The world is shifting away from fossil fuels, and drilling in the Arctic Refuge would be particularly expensive, so it presents a massive financial risk. It would also be devastating for caribou, the Gwich’in and for the climate.” said Chris Rider, Executive Director of CPAWS Yukon. “Refusing to fund Arctic Refuge drilling is the right ethical choice and a good business decision. The pressure is now on the rest of Canada’s banks to step up, and release their own policies.”
A growing list of banks have already refused to fund drilling in the Arctic Refuge, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo in the United States, and over a dozen banks overseas. “RBC’s decision shows how skeptical the financial world is about drilling in the Arctic Refuge,” said Malkolm Boothroyd, Campaigns Coordinator at CPAWS Yukon. “this is a warning to oil companies that they will struggle to find financing if they choose to pursue drilling in the Arctic Refuge.”
The full policy can be found here: https://www.rbc.com/community-social-impact/environment/RBC-Policy-Guidelines-for-Sensitive-Sectors-and-Activities_EN.pdf
Contacts
Adil Darvesh, CPAWS Yukon Communications Coordinator
adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org
867-393-8080 x9
Elizabeth Stapes, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Caribou Coordinator
estaples@vgfn.net
867-966-3261
Amber Keegan, Gwich’in Tribal Council Policy, Negotiations and Communications Specialist
amber.keegan@gwichintribal.ca
867-777-7923
Yukon’s newly released Parks Strategy sets an important vision for healthy wild spaces
Whitehorse, Yukon – Today the Government of Yukon released the Yukon Parks Strategy, to guide the establishment and management of territorial parks.
As climate change and habitat degradation threatens wildlife populations across the globe, this strategy provides a framework for lessening these impacts and ensuring that the Yukon’s plants, animals, and landscapes can stay healthy for future generations.
Previously, parks were considered on a case-by-case basis. The new strategy shifts to establishing parks as part of a network of protected areas across the territory through “systematic planning, establishment and management.” This approach will benefit wildlife who rely on moving freely across the Yukon’s landscapes. Conservation on a large scale will help provide the Yukon with more of the necessary tools to navigate our current climate emergency.
“There’s a lot to like about the new parks strategy,” says Chris Rider, Executive Director of CPAWS Yukon. “It sets out a strong vision for how the Yukon can move forward as we work to protect wild spaces for future generations.”
“This strategy is a big step forward for making sure the places that matter to wildlife and people continue to thrive,” said Randi Newton, Conservation Manager at CPAWS Yukon “It will help us make better decisions during land use planning processes, including the ongoing Dawson Land Use Plan. “
Many Yukoners depend on healthy wild spaces for subsistence, wellbeing and lifestyle. The Covid-19 pandemic has further emphasized the connection between health of wild spaces and human health. A robust parks strategy will be a key part of a green recovery for the Yukon.
Contact
Adil Darvesh, CPAWS Yukon Communications Coordinator
adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org
867-393-8080 x9
CPAWS Yukon joins litigation on Arctic Refuge
August 24, 2020
For Immediate Release
For Immediate Release
Gwich’in & allied groups sue Trump agencies for illegal lease program in Arctic Refuge Lawsuit charges BLM with failing legal obligation to protect land, water, wildlife, and people
ANCHORAGE (AK)— The Gwich’in Steering Committee and allied groups took Trump’s Secretary of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to court today for finalizing an illegal leasing program that would hand over the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the oil and gas industry.
“BLM’s decision to violate lands sacred to my people and essential to the health of the Porcupine caribou herd is an attack on our rights, our culture and our way of life,” said Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee. “We have lived and thrived in the Arctic for thousands of years. We have listened and learned from our elders, and we know we must stand united to protect future generations, and that means going to court to protect the caribou herd and sacred lands.”
BLM released its Record of Decision on August 17, allowing the leasing of the entire coastal plain. This biologically rich, over 1.5-million-acre area serves as birthing and calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd, feeding and molting grounds for millions of birds, and denning grounds for an array of mammals such as wolves and endangered polar bears. The lawsuit charges BLM with failing to comply with laws governing agency processes and protecting land, water and wildlife.
“BLM rushed its analysis, curtailed public participation, shortchanged Indigenous input and concerns, and omitted science and facts,” said Brook Brisson, senior staff attorney with Trustees for Alaska. “The decision-making process has been fundamentally flawed from day one. It’s no surprise that the outcome is a leasing program that flagrantly breaks the law and fails to respect and protect human rights, the public trust, and one of our nation’s most iconic public lands.”
The lawsuit charges BLM with violating the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Wilderness Act, and the Endangered Species Act—all bedrock laws that protect our nation’s public lands, waters, wildlife, and people. Find the full complaint
here.
here.
Law firm Trustees for Alaska represents 13 clients in the lawsuit: Gwich’in Steering Committee, Alaska Wilderness League, Alaska Wildlife Alliance, Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society-Yukon Chapter, Defenders of Wildlife, Environment America, Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, National Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Refuge Association, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, and Wilderness Watch.
The administration has 60 days to respond to the lawsuit. The agencies will likely begin the process for holding a lease sale soon.
The administration has 60 days to respond to the lawsuit. The agencies will likely begin the process for holding a lease sale soon.
Client statements:
“This process has been deeply flawed from the beginning, with the Department of the Interior cutting every possible corner in its rush to sell off the coastal plain to the highest bidders,” said Karlin Itchoak, Alaska director for The Wilderness Society. “Fortunately, the courts stand in the way of this reckless endeavor, and we will pursue every opportunity to defend the wildlife and natural wonder of the coastal plain, and the rights of Indigenous people who depend on this landscape and the Porcupine Caribou Herd that calves there.”
“This process has been deeply flawed from the beginning, with the Department of the Interior cutting every possible corner in its rush to sell off the coastal plain to the highest bidders,” said Karlin Itchoak, Alaska director for The Wilderness Society. “Fortunately, the courts stand in the way of this reckless endeavor, and we will pursue every opportunity to defend the wildlife and natural wonder of the coastal plain, and the rights of Indigenous people who depend on this landscape and the Porcupine Caribou Herd that calves there.”
“Alaskans will not tolerate this administration selling off sacred places,” said Elisabeth Balster Dabney, executive director for the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. “We have a long history of protecting the places we care about, and remain committed to stopping the destruction of these irreplaceable lands and waters. We value them just the way they are: as a Refuge. The coastal plain is not for sale.”
“The Arctic Refuge is the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd,” said Chris Rider, executive director of CPAWS Yukon. “Each year, they migrate from Alaska to their wintering grounds in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. They are a keystone species for the Yukon’s delicate wilderness. As one of the last healthy barren-ground herds, any development that threatens their health is a risk to the viability of the entire species. We are joining this lawsuit because we believe it is important to have Canada’s interest in the health of the Porcupine caribou herd represented before the courts.”
“This proposed desecration of the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is an outrageous assault on its incomparable wildlife and habitat, the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Gwich’in Nation, and the overwhelming desire of the American people to preserve this intact ecosystem for future generations,” said Dr. David Raskin, president of the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges. “This misguided effort to line the pockets of the oil industry for political gain will be defeated by the legitimate stakeholders, just as it has been many times since the Refuge was established by ANILCA in 1980. We will not allow the rights of the public to be trampled by this flawed process that flies in the face of the many laws and regulations that are designed to enhance and preserve our national heritage.”
“The scheme to drill this national treasure has always been morally wrong, but the process the Trump administration is utilizing to get development steamrolling ahead is flat out illegal,” said Adam Kolton, executive director of Alaska Wilderness League. “Science has been trampled. The voices of the Gwich’in shunned. Environmental laws and even the bare bones requirements of the Tax Act have been ignored. This is a ruse masquerading as an environmental review and we will not stand idly by while Trump’s Interior Department seeks to auction off the wildest place left in America to the highest bidder.”
“Opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development is reckless and illegal,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. “Industrializing this area could be the death knell for this imperiled polar bear population. We will not back down in the fight to protect this irreplaceable landscape.”
“Oil drilling and wildlife simply do not mix,” said Steve Blackledge, senior director for Environment America’s Conservation Program. “The Trump administration’s slapdash push to start oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge must be stopped. It is foolhardy and blind to the reality that in 2020, clean renewable energy options are rapidly on the rise.”
“The Arctic Refuge stands alone as America’s wildest, most ecologically intact landscape supporting a great diversity of life,” said Fran Mauer, Alaska chapter representative of Wilderness Watch. “It holds an unparalleled place in our nation’s conservation history and in our national conscience. We must protect this national treasure from irreversible harm that will result from this heavily flawed process and decision.”
“The Trump administration’s so-called environmental review process for drilling in the Arctic Refuge has been a sham from the start,” said Lena Moffitt, senior director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign. “They’ve suppressed science and ignored the wishes of the American people, and we will not allow this reckless sell-off to go unchallenged.”
“The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge has immense intrinsic, scientific, and subsistence value to our members and our state,” said Nicole Schmitt, the executive director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. “We stand with the Gwich’in people who rely on these sacred lands for their food and culture, and with our members who recreate and appreciate these natural spaces, in opposing any oil and gas activities in the Arctic Refuge. We stand, too, with the majority of Americans who oppose oil and gas extraction on these lands, and with the polar bears, caribou, birds, and other Arctic animals who cannot go to court or speak out to protect their own health and the health of the lands and waters they need to thrive.”
“Drilling in the Arctic will irreparably scar one of the last remaining wild places on earth. Polar bears, porcupine caribou, musk oxen, and millions of migratory birds depend on this pristine habitat for their survival,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “By flagrantly disregarding the advice of the federal government’s top wildlife biologists and failing to follow numerous laws, the Trump administration has left us no choice but to file this lawsuit in solidarity with the Gwich’in Nation to stop this reckless plan to drill in the crown jewel of wildlife refuges.”
“The National Wildlife Refuge Association stands firmly against the attempt to open any portion the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development, including lease sales,” said Geoffrey L. Haskett, president, National Wildlife Refuge Association. “This landscape is protected for a reason: for the Gwich’in people who depend on this land for life, for the tremendous biodiversity and wildlife that call the refuge home, and for all the Americans who do not live nearby, but cherish and value this iconic and pristine land and everything it offers us all. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be left untouched. This place is wild and remote and valuable beyond measure, and we cannot bear the risk of drilling there.”
Contacts:
Bernadette Demientieff, executive director, Gwich’in Steering Committee, bernadette@gwichinsteering.com, 907-371-8028
Bernadette Demientieff, executive director, Gwich’in Steering Committee, bernadette@gwichinsteering.com
Tim Woody, Alaska communications manager, The Wilderness Society, tim_woody@tws.org, 907-223-2443
David C. Raskin, president, Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, (425)-209-9009, davidc.raskin@me.com
Corey Himrod, senior communications manager, Alaska Wilderness League, (202) 266-0426, corey@alaskawild.org
Erica Watson, communications manager, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, (907)-452-5093, erica@northern.org
Josh Chetwynd, communications manager, The Public Interest Network, (303) 573-5558 or (310) 779-1049, jchetwynd@publicinterestnetwork.org
Fran Mauer, Alaska chapter representative, Wilderness Watch, (907) 455-6829 or (907) 978-1109, fmauer@mosquitonet.com
Gabby Brown, senior press secretary, Sierra Club, (914) 261-4626, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Chris Rider, executive director, CPAWS Yukon, (867)-393-8080 or (867) 332-5300 (cell), crider@cpawsyukon.org
Dawnell Smith, communications director, Trustees for Alaska, (907) 433-2013, dsmith@trustees.org
U.S. releases Record of Decision on Arctic Refuge drilling
August 17th 2020 (WHITEHORSE, YT) Today the U.S. Department of Interior released its Record of Decision, authorizing oil leasing on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
The Arctic Refuge is the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, one of the world’s last great caribou herds, who migrate between Alaska and Canada each year. The Porcupine Caribou Herd sustains Gwich’in communities across northern Yukon, NWT and Alaska. If the Arctic Refuge is opened for drilling, it could have catastrophic impacts on the health of the herd, and the lives of the people who depend on them.
The Record of Decision closes the chapter on the U.S. Government’s environmental review of oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge, but drilling remains far from inevitable. The Record of Decision faces certain legal scrutiny, stemming from serious shortcomings in the environmental review of oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Refuge.
The move sets in motion the next phase in the U.S. Government’s push for Arctic Refuge drilling, which could culminate in a lease sale this year. “It’s upsetting, but unsurprising, that the U.S. Government released this decision to proceed with oil development in the Arctic Refuge,” said Chris Rider, Executive Director of the Yukon chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS Yukon).
Of the over 1 million comments submitted on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, an estimated 99 percent opposed drilling. Over 15,oo0 Canadians and 500 Yukoners registered their support for protecting the Arctic Refuge, including many Gwich’in voices. In spite of this, the U.S. Government chose the most aggressive oil and gas leasing option possible: one that would open the entire Coastal Plain for leasing, and place the fewest limitations on drilling.
CPAWS Yukon is the only Canadian organization in the coalition of environmental and Indigenous groups that is working to defend the Arctic Refuge from oil and gas development. CPAWS Yukon has worked with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and Gwich’in Tribal Council to encourage Canadian participation throughout the environmental review process, and to urge Canada’s largest banks to withhold funding for Arctic Refuge drilling.
“It was inevitable that the Record of Decision would come out strongly in favour of drilling, and we are not surprised to see that they have recommended the most destructive scenario,” said Rider. “Fortunately the U.S. Government must abide by its own environmental laws and the environmental review of drilling in the Arctic Refuge is full of red flags. Our lawyers are currently reviewing the ROD and we are preparing for potential litigation.” Shortcomings include the U.S. Government’s failure to properly address impacts of drilling on the Porcupine caribou, or the Gwich’in communities that rely on the herd. The U.S. Department of Interior also refused calls to hold hearings in Canada.
Contact
Chris Rider | Executive Director, CPAWS Yukon
crider@cpawsyukon.org | Phone: 867 393 8080 | Cell: 867 332 5300
Resource roads threaten wildlife and wilderness: CPAWS Yukon report
Whitehorse, YT – New resource road projects could transform the Yukon’s wilderness and jeopardize wildlife—warns a report released today by CPAWS Yukon. Titled Eroding the Yukon’s wild character, the report describes the ecological impacts of roads and the challenges they pose to the Yukon’s environmental review system.
Ecologists have called roads a sleeping giant among humankind’s impacts on the planet. Roads can disrupt animal migrations, help invasive species spread and cut ecosystems into isolated fragments of habitat. Roads can be especially damaging to wide-ranging species such as caribou, wolverines and grizzly bears.
Roads that would make the ‘first cut’ into roadless areas should be treated cautiously, especially roads proposed in areas of high ecological and cultural significance. “Roads make it easier for resource extraction industries to access lands,” said Malkolm Boothroyd, author of the report. “Once a road makes the ‘first cut’ into a roadless landscape waves of development can follow.” However, the Yukon’s environmental review process isn’t mandated to look at the domino effects of roads. “Road after road could be approved by low-level environmental reviews, and spiderwebs of roads could slowly erode the Yukon’s wildness,” said Boothroyd.
The report offers recommendations for how to make stronger decisions around road developments. Key among them is for the Yukon to complete regional land use planning before major road projects go ahead. Land use planning is suited to making big-picture decisions like where roads are acceptable, and what areas should stay roadless. CPAWS Yukon also recommends the scope of environmental reviews be expanded to better address cumulative impacts and induced developments associated with resource roads.
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Malkolm Boothroyd | Campaigns Coordinator, CPAWS Yukon
mboothroyd@cpawsyukon.org | Phone: 867 332 0310
Images
Images can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?
Image credits to Malkolm Boothroyd. Descriptions can be found in the “Details” metadata.
Statement on Vivian Krause at the Yukon Geoscience Forum
November 13, 2019
Over the past two decades, CPAWS Yukon has worked to conserve the Yukon’s wild spaces, including the Peel Watershed. Our staff and Board of Directors all live in the Yukon and we are passionate about this place we call home.
Every decision for our organization is made right here in Whitehorse, by our staff and board. Not once has our work been influenced by our funders, whether Canadian or international.
As part of our work, we regularly attend planning and policy meetings, where we sit across the table from people of all walks of life – and this regularly includes our colleagues from the mining sector. That is why we are disappointed to see that Vivian Krause has been invited to speak at the Yukon Geoscience Forum on November 16th.
Ms. Krause is a self-proclaimed researcher, who travels around the country spreading disinformation about the conservation sector and our funders. She presents her theories in a way that makes them seem reasonable, but once you start to dig a little you begin to realize that the facts do not support her conclusions. This is highlighted in a recent article by Sandy Garossino in The National Observer.
Before Ms. Krause arrives in the Yukon, we want to set the record straight. Here are some facts:
Fact 1: The Yukon is an attractive place for foreign investment. Each year, our resource industries attract investment from abroad, and many of the resource extraction companies working here are foreign owned. Just as the Yukon is an attractive place for investment from private enterprise, groups like CPAWS Yukon are able to attract donations from foundations, who support our vision of protecting nature, in a world where nature is disappearing.
CPAWS Yukon is grateful for the funding we receive from U.S. foundations, just as we are grateful for the donations that we receive from hard working, passionate Yukoners. We do not hide this, and our audited financials are available on our website.
Fact 2: One of Ms. Krause’s main claims is that Canadian environmental groups and American funders have engaged in a conspiracy to land-lock Canada’s resources. However, American foundations, who support CPAWS Yukon’s work to protect wilderness within the territory, also fund our work to prevent oil and gas development in the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd in Alaska. If the goal of these foundations was to land-lock Canadian resources and boost the U.S. oil and gas industry, as suggested by Ms. Krause, this would not be a good way of going about it.
Fact 3: Vivian Krause’s trip to Whitehorse is sponsored by Ferus Natural Gas Fuels. This company is wholly owned by a private investment firm called The Energy & Minerals Group. This company is based in Texas and is registered as a Canadian Lobbyist. Vivian Krause is in Whitehorse, supported by a foreign company that is registered to lobby our government. We are curious why investments to conserve the Yukon’s wilderness is deemed inappropriate, but normal for any other industry in the Yukon.
Our economy is connected with the rest of the world. That’s true for all industries including the environmental sector. CPAWS Yukon, and our colleagues in the conservation sector, will continue to work to protect the Yukon’s wild spaces and species because we are passionate about the Yukon. And all of us at CPAWS Yukon remain committed to respectful engagement with everyone who lives or works here.
U.S. Government pushes to drill in the Arctic Refuge as the U.S. House of Representatives passes conservation legislation.
Whitehorse, Yukon – Today the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is the latest move in its push to authorize drilling in the Refuge, a process marked by rushed timelines, the silencing of scientists, and limits on public involvement.
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge poses a direct threat to the Gwich’in, whose culture and subsistence ways of life depends on the health of the Porcupine caribou herd. The Gwich’in have long led efforts to protect the Arctic Refuge and the Porcupine caribou herd. “CPAWS Yukon stands with the Gwich’in in unequivocal opposition to drilling,” said Malkolm Boothroyd, Campaigns Coordinator at CPAWS Yukon.
The Final EIS identifies Alternative B as its preferred leasing option: an aggressive scenario that would open the entirety of the Coastal Plain – approximately 1.6 million acres – to leasing. The Bureau of Land Management’s preferred alternative provides minimal protections for the Porcupine caribou herd and Refuge’s other sensitive wildlife and ecosystems. The Final EIS also fails to comprehensively evaluate the impacts of drilling on the Porcupine caribou herd, and the Gwich’in communities that rely on the herd.
Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives voted 225-193 in favour of the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, a bill that would restore protection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, demonstrating growing momentum behind protecting the Refuge. “The passage of this legislation sends a strong message to the oil industry that drilling in the Arctic Refuge is deeply unpopular, and that future U.S. administrations may undo the efforts of the current administration,” said Boothroyd.
Contacts:
Malkolm Boothroyd, Campaign Coordinator, mboothroyd@cpawsyukon.org | 867 332 0310
Adil Darvesh, Communications Coordinator, adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org | 867-393-8080 x9
30 year campaign culminates in signing of Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan
30 year campaign culminates in signing of Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan
Mayo, Yukon – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Yukon Chapter (CPAWS Yukon) and the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) are excited for the signing of the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan, and congratulate the Yukon Government, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and the Gwich’in Tribal Council, representing the Gwich’in Nations of the Northwest Territories on this momentous occasion.
This historic day is the culmination of a 30 year campaign highlighting the cultural and ecological value of the Peel Watershed by CPAWS Yukon and YCS. Together with Yukon First Nations, we fought for the public’s voices to be heard in a meaningful manner ending with a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to redo public consultations on the Final Recommended Plan. In 2018, those final consultations produced close to 3000 responses from members of the public and saw 96.4% of respondents call for at least the Final Recommended Plan to be implemented. Those voices were finally heard.
The planning region spans 68,000 km2, of which 55% will be permanently protected and count towards Canada’s commitment to Target 1 of the 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets. 25% will be given interim protection to be reviewed in 10 years; 3% given interim protection to protect boreal caribou, listed as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act; and only 17% open to various levels of development. In total, 55,858 km2 will be protected in the Peel Watershed region, roughly the size of Nova Scotia.
This plan also includes joint implementation between First Nations and the Yukon Government on the entire planning region. This provides all signatories equal decision making power, and will require unanimous agreement before any changes to the plan can be made.
“For nearly three decades, CPAWS Yukon and the Yukon Conservation Society have worked hard to help people around the world fall in love with the peel. Our goal has always been to support the First Nations in their efforts to protect this iconic landscape. Today we achieved that goal.” – Chris Rider, Executive Director of CPAWS Yukon
“Whole ecosystem conservation opportunities are few and far between. The campaign to protect the Peel represents an incredible chance to safeguard our land. Over 55,000 km2 of new protected area announced today is a boon for conservation efforts and is an example of conservation done right.” – Dr. Mike Walton, Executive Director of the Yukon Conservation Society
The significance of the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan will continue beyond just the planning area. The focus on conserving spaces with ecological and cultural values and having joint decision-making between First Nations and Yukon Government sets an important benchmark for future land use plans in the Yukon.
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Contact
Davon Callander
Communications and Outreach Manager, Yukon Conservation Society
outreach@yukonconservation.org | 867 689 5071
Adil Darvesh
Communications Coordinator, CPAWS Yukon
adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org | 867-393-8080 x9
Yukoners overwhelmingly support permanent protection of Peel Watershed
February 27, 2019 (Whitehorse, YT) – CPAWS Yukon and the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) are pleased to see an overwhelming call for stronger protection in the Peel Regional Land Use Plan What We Heard Report released yesterday.
The report breaks down the 2,674 email, letter, and questionnaire submissions during the final consultations. We are pleased to see that the public has spoken and over 96.4% of people asked for at least the implementation of the Final Recommended Plan (which calls for 55% permanent protection, 25% interim protection). 64.5% of people asked for protection to be stronger than in the Final Recommended Plan.
Over the past 20 years, CPAWS Yukon and YCS have been advocating for permanent protection of this unspoiled landscape that spans over 68,000 km2 – about 14% of the entire Yukon. Home to iconic northern wildlife such as grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou, and lynx, the Peel Watershed provides a much needed sanctuary that is integral for plants, animals, and humans to thrive.
The landmark victory at the Supreme Court of Canada in December 2017 (by appellants First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, CPAWS Yukon, and YCS) provided the public with this opportunity to exercise their right – as laid out in the Umbrella Final Agreement – to help decide the future of this landscape through final consultations on the Final Recommend Plan for the Peel Watershed.
Now that consultations are complete, CPAWS Yukon and YCS hope that Yukon policy- and decision-makers will act on the public desire for a protected Peel Watershed as they finalize the Peel Watershed Land Use Plan.
“We’re thrilled that so many people participated in the final consultations. It’s clear that Yukoners want to see the strongest possible protection for the Peel Watershed, and Yukon government has a great opportunity to show that they’re listening.” – Chris Rider, Executive Director, CPAWS Yukon
“Climate change and industrial development are threats to biodiversity and the health of the land in the Yukon and across the globe. Protecting wildlife and wild places like the Peel Watershed is the key to our shared future.” – Dr. Mike Walton, Executive Director, Yukon Conservation Society
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Contacts
Adil Darvesh, Communications Coordinator, CPAWS Yukon
adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org, 867-393-8080 x9
Julia Duchesne, Outreach and Communications Director, YCS
outreach@yukonconservation.org
Contacts for quotes
David Loeks, Former Chair of the Peel Commission
867-633-5470, loeks@northwestel.net
Kalin Pallett, President of Wilderness Tourism Association of the Yukon (WTAY)
867-335-6469, kalin@eddyline.ca
Donald Reid, Conservation Zoologist – Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
867-456-7556, dreid@wcs.org
Google Drive folder with images
https://drive.google.com/open?