The Inuvialuit have signed an agreement with the Canadian and Yukon governments to preserve nearly 850,000 hectares across the northern Yukon.
The new Aullaviat/Anguniarvik Traditional Conservation Area is intended to protect wildlife across the region, including species like the Porcupine barren-ground caribou (Ranifer tarandus groenlandicus) herd, polar bears (Ursus maritimus), and migratory birds. The land helps connect a network of protected areas stretching across international borders, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
The land is one of a growing number of Indigenous-led conservation areas, where Indigenous governments have the primary role in protecting and conserving ecosystems.
Canada is contributing $10 million to support an Inuvialuit-led monitoring program in the area. Philanthropic organizations are providing $3.5 million more.
The agreement comes 40 years after the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, which identified the northern Yukon as a place for the conservation of wildlife, habitat and traditional Inuvialuit use.
Article by The Wildlife Society
