Strategic Conservation Assessment for the Northern Boreal Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia
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WCS CANADA CONSERVATION REPORT NO. 5 | MAY 2010 strategic conservation assessment for the northern boreal mountains of yukon and british columbia Donald Reid, Brian Pelchat and John Weaver WCS CANADA CONSERVATION REPORT #5 MAY 2010 STRATEGIC CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT for the NORTHERN BOREAL MOUNTAINS of yukon and british columbia Donald Reid Conservation Zoologist, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon Brian Pelchat Wildlife Biologist, Pelchat Wildlife Services, Whitehorse, Yukon John Weaver Conservation Zoologist, Wildlife Conservation Society, St. Ignatius, Montana WCS Canada Conservation Reports: ISSN 1719-8941 Conservation Report Series (Print) ISSN 1719-8968 Conservation Report Series (Online) ISBN 978-0-9784461-6-1 Strategic Conservation Assessment for the Northern Boreal Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia (Print) ISBN 978-0-9784461-7-8 Strategic Conservation Assessment for the Northern Boreal Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia (Online) Copies of WCS Canada Conservation Reports are available from: Wildlife Conservation Society Canada 720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 600 Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T9 CANADA Telephone: (416) 850-9038 www.wcscanada.org Suggested Citation: Reid, D., Pelchat, B. and Weaver, J. 2010. Strategic Conservation Assessment for the Northern Boreal Mountains of Yukon and British Columbia. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 5. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Cover Photos: Front Cover photos: A bull northern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in winter. A beaver (Castor canadensis) nibbles bark while preparing to give a warning slap of its tail. (Photos: Fritz Mueller). Rainbow over Coldfish Lake, Spatsizi Provincial Park, British Columbia. (Photo: Donald Reid) Back Cover photo: Fritz Mueller Report to T-Gear Charitable Trust Copyright: ©2010 The contents of this paper are the sole property of the authors and cannot be reproduced without permission of the authors. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada conservation reports series Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada) was incorporated as a conservation organization in Canada in July 2004. Its mission is to save wildlife and wildlands by improving our understanding of — and seeking solutions to — criti- cal problems that threaten vulnerable species and large wild ecosystems throughout Canada. WCS Canada implements and supports comprehensive field studies to gather information on the ecology and behavior of wildlife. Then, it applies that information to resolve key conservation problems by working with a broad array of stakeholders, including local community members, conservation groups, regula- tory agencies, and commercial interests. It also provides technical assistance and biological expertise to local groups and agencies that lack the resources to tackle conservation dilemmas. Already, WCS Canada has worked on design of protected areas (Nahanni National Park), monitoring and recovery of species (grizzly bear, lynx, wolverine, and woodland caribou), restoration of ecosystems, integrated man- agement of large landscapes, and community-based conservation. Although WCS Canada is independently registered and managed, it retains a strong collaborative working relationship with sister WCS programs in more than 55 countries around the world. The Wildlife Conservation Society is a recognized global leader in conservation, dedicated to saving wildlife and wildlands for spe- cies in peril, such as elephants, tigers, sharks, macaws and bears. For more than a century, WCS has worked in North America promoting conservation actions such as recovery of bison, establishment of parks, and legislation to protect endangered wildlife. Today, WCS Canada draws upon this legacy of experience and expertise to inform its strategic programs from Yukon to Labrador. To learn more about WCS Canada, visit: www.wcscanada.org. To contact WCS Canada, write to: [email protected]. The purpose of the WCS Canada Conservation Reports Series is to provide an outlet for timely reports on WCS Canada conservation projects. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1 ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................. 4 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 5 THE NATURAL SETTING: Ecosystems in the Boreal Mountains .......................................... 7 Geographic setting ........................................................................................................ 7 Ecological Setting ......................................................................................................... 8 Climate .................................................................................................................. 11 Physiography, Geology and Soils ........................................................................... 15 Ecosystems ............................................................................................................. 17 Wildlife .................................................................................................................. 19 Natural Disturbance Regimes ................................................................................ 21 THE CONSERVATION CHALLENGE ......................................................................................... 23 A Conservation Paradigm and Tool Box ....................................................................... 23 Ecosystem Function and Scale ................................................................................ 24 Ecosystem Services and Products ........................................................................... 27 Sustainable land uses and harvest ........................................................................... 29 Needs and Opportunities .............................................................................................. 31 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 31 Fish and Wildlife Harvest ....................................................................................... 31 Protected Area Establishment ................................................................................ 32 Forest Management ................................................................................................ 33 Agriculture ............................................................................................................. 34 Backcountry Recreation ......................................................................................... 37 Mineral Development ............................................................................................. 38 Hydrocarbon Developments .................................................................................. 40 Institutional Capacity ............................................................................................. 40 Climate Change ...................................................................................................... 41 INSTITUTIONAL SETTING ........................................................................................................ 44 Yukon ........................................................................................................................... 44 Federal Government ............................................................................................... 44 Yukon Government ................................................................................................ 44 Yukon First Nations Governments ......................................................................... 50 Yukon Co-Management Agencies ........................................................................... 75 Non-Government Organizations ............................................................................ 82 British Columbia .......................................................................................................... 85 Provincial Government .......................................................................................... 85 First Nations Governments .................................................................................... 87 Non-Government Organizations ............................................................................ 93 SUMMARY: The Way Forward ............................................................................................... 94 Land Use Disposition ................................................................................................... 94 Valley Bottoms, Riparian Areas and Wetlands .............................................................. 95 Access Management ..................................................................................................... 96 Climate Change ............................................................................................................ 97 Institutional Engagement .............................................................................................. 97 Regional Diversity ........................................................................................................ 98 APPENDIX: Additional Information Regarding Institutions ............................................... 99 Yukon Department of Environment