Peel River Watershed - our natural heritage has local & global value CurrentCurrent ProtectedProtected AreasAreas inin thethe YukonYukon andand NeighbouringNeighbouring JurisdictionsJurisdictions

„ About 14% of in permanent protected areas

„ 3 National Parks account for 7.6%

„ All remaining protected areas established through land claim agreements A vision for the future… IntactIntact watershedswatersheds withwith thethe fullfull varietyvariety ofof lifelife foundfound inin thethe mountainmountain borealboreal regionregion Working Towards a Peel Watershed Planning Commission AnAn importantimportant partpart ofof thethe NorthNorth’’ss culturalcultural heritageheritage A history of trade, travel & community use in the Peel Guide-outfitting, trapping, prospecting are on-going activities… UseUse ofof thethe PeelPeel watershedwatershed isis evolvingevolving…… LocalLocal peoplepeople andand visitorsvisitors fromfrom aroundaround thethe worldworld People come to experience the beauty & wilderness – hiking, paddling, hunting, or wildlife viewing… The Peel watershed inspires art, music, photography, stories & writing

What are the conservation values? CPAWSCPAWS FieldField SurveysSurveys && CommunityCommunity tripstrips

• Habitat and vegetation surveys • Fish & wildlife observations • habitat assessment • Mapping of conservation values PeelPeel RiverRiver watershedwatershed

From the Selwyn & Wernecke Mtns to the Richardsons: one of the North’s great boreal watersheds… Blackstone Uplands Ogilvie Mountains PeelPeel PlateauPlateau Turner Lake Area - One of Yukon’s 50 Critical Wetlands Fort McPherson Plains Peel Canyon Main-stem WindWind RiverRiver watershedwatershed BonnetBonnet PlumePlume watershedwatershed SnakeSnake RiverRiver watershedwatershed VastVast alpinealpine areasareas……

MountainMountain borealboreal forestsforests…… PristinePristine watershedswatersheds && aquaticaquatic habitathabitat

IntactIntact LargeLarge MammalMammal EcosystemEcosystem Bonnet Plume Woodland Herd overlaps with range of Porcupine Barren-ground Herd

SpecialSpecial EcosystemEcosystem ElementsElements

Beringia Wetlands

Raptors Caribou

ConservationConservation && EconomicEconomic DevelopmentDevelopment JobsJobs inin guiding,guiding, research,research, culturalcultural interpretation,interpretation, renewablerenewable resourceresource management,management, backcountrybackcountry services,services, newnew businessesbusinesses ……

Three Rivers Journey and Gathering

…a compelling case for conservation & a network of protected areas in the Peel watershed CPAWS Conservation Values Atlas…available for use

PreviouslyPreviously IdentifiedIdentified AreasAreas ofof HighHigh EcologicalEcological ValueValue

„ PreviousPrevious studiesstudies havehave identifiedidentified keykey wetlandwetland andand wildlifewildlife areasareas inin thethe PeelPeel watershedwatershed asas candidatescandidates forfor protectionprotection FirstFirst NationNation TraditionalTraditional TerritoriesTerritories

„ PeelPeel watershedwatershed mainlymainly inin thethe territoriesterritories ofof thethe NachoNacho NyakNyak dundun andand TetlTetl’’itit GwichGwich’’inin,, withwith aa portionportion ofof thethe territoriesterritories ofof thethe VuntutVuntut GwitchinGwitchin andand TrTr’’ondekondek HwechHwech’’inin ExistingExisting ProtectedProtected AreasAreas

„ BonnetBonnet PlumePlume HeritageHeritage RiverRiver offersoffers nono legallegal protectionprotection

„ PeelPeel watershedwatershed isis notnot yetyet representedrepresented byby protectedprotected areasareas –– tremendoustremendous opportunityopportunity YellowstoneYellowstone toto YukonYukon RegionRegion RoadRoad densitydensity inin Y2YY2Y areaarea ProtectedProtected AreasAreas inin thethe Y2YY2Y RegionRegion

„ OnlyOnly 44 significantsignificant protectedprotected areasareas inin thethe northernnorthern regionregion ofof Y2YY2Y ProtectedProtected AreasAreas andand SustainableSustainable CommunitiesCommunities

„ WeWe havehave roomroom forfor bothboth protectedprotected areasareas andand responsibleresponsible industryindustry

„ SustainabilitySustainability meansmeans aa twotwo--prongedpronged approachapproach toto ourour useuse ofof landland andand resourcesresources –– protectionprotection andand responsibleresponsible useuse

NorthNorth AmericanAmerican ContextContext AreaArea ofof InterestInterest

„ SignificantSignificant naturalnatural valuesvalues „ PrimarilyPrimarily wildernesswilderness „ VeryVery localizedlocalized developmentdevelopment „ FewFew roadsroads „ FewFew peoplepeople „ Small communities „ Mostly First Nations „ Connection to the land

„ “…to sustain the ecological and cultural integrity of the Canadian boreal forest region, in perpetuity” „ -Boreal Framework

„ “… to maintain in perpetuity the wilderness quality, and the diversity and abundance of wildlife and the ecosystems on which it depends while allowing resource development and use in parts …” „ - Preamble from the MK Act Source: BioScience, February 2004 / Vol.54 No.2, pp.123-138 TheThe visionvision onon thethe groundground

SuccessSuccess willwill bebe inin thethe formform of:of: „„ ParksParks andand ProtectedProtected AreasAreas

„„ SpecialSpecial ManagementManagement AreasAreas „„ PlannedPlanned && PacedPaced DevelopmentDevelopment „„ CulturalCultural IntegrityIntegrity „„ HealthyHealthy CommunitiesCommunities ParksParks && otherother ProtectedProtected AreasAreas „ BigBig wildernesswilderness „ IntactIntact ecosystemsecosystems „ WatershedsWatersheds oror majormajor portionsportions ofof „ AbundantAbundant wildlifewildlife && biodiversitybiodiversity „ EcologicalEcological integrityintegrity ParksParks && otherother ProtectedProtected AreasAreas „ BigBig wildernesswilderness „ IntactIntact ecosystemsecosystems „ WatershedsWatersheds oror majormajor portionsportions ofof „ AbundantAbundant wildlifewildlife && biodiversitybiodiversity „ EcologicalEcological integrityintegrity

PeregrinePeregrine FalconFalcon BreedingBreeding AreasAreas

„ 25%25% ofof YukonYukon’’ss breedingbreeding populationpopulation inin thethe PeelPeel watershedwatershed ForestForest CoverCover

„ ForestForest covercover alongalong PeelPeel mainmain stemstem andand tributarytributary valleys,valleys, andand inin thethe PeelPeel PlateauPlateau FlywaysFlyways

„ HighHigh birdbird diversitydiversity forfor thisthis latitude,latitude, sincesince birdsbirds flyfly downdown Mackenzie,Mackenzie, thenthen upup thethe PeelPeel watershedwatershed CaribouCaribou HerdsHerds andand SedimentarySedimentary BasinsBasins

„ SedimentarySedimentary basinsbasins andand oiloil andand gasgas activityactivity overlapoverlap inin portionsportions ofof thethe PeelPeel watershed,watershed, potentiallypotentially affectingaffecting BonnetBonnet PlumePlume woodlandwoodland cariboucaribou herdherd andand PorcupinePorcupine CaribouCaribou herdherd PeregrinePeregrine FalconFalcon andand SedimentarySedimentary BasinBasin

„ OilOil andand gasgas activityactivity couldcould affectaffect criticalcritical PeregrinePeregrine FalconFalcon breedingbreeding areasareas inin thethe peelpeel watershedwatershed EcoregionsEcoregions

„ PeelPeel watershedwatershed hashas portionsportions ofof 66 ecoregionsecoregions

„ HighHigh biologicalbiological diversitydiversity duedue toto differentdifferent characteristicscharacteristics ofof thesethese 66 ecoregionsecoregions

„ Mountain,Mountain, plateauplateau andand lowlandlowland ecosystemsecosystems