Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Across... · 2020-06-03 · Page 1 of 6 Yellowstone to...

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Page 1 of 6 Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Jodi Hilty [email protected] 403 678 1137 www.y2y.net Canada, US Size: 500,000 sq mile

Transcript of Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Across... · 2020-06-03 · Page 1 of 6 Yellowstone to...

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YellowstonetoYukonConservationInitiative [email protected] 4036781137www.y2y.netCanada,USSize:500,000sqmile

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Participantsincoordinatingtheongoingtransboundarycooperation:

Overour20+yearsofexistencewehavepartneredwithmorethan300differententities,seeexamplesbelow.

NationalGovernment:• Canada• USA

LocalGovernment:• Stateandprovinciallandandwildlifemanagementagencies• Towngovernments(e.g.,Canmore)

Protectedareaadministration:• USFishandWildlifeService• USForestService• AlbertaParks• ParksCanada• NationalParkService

InternationalNGOs:• WildlifeConservationSociety

NationalNGOs:• CanadianParksandWilderness• DefendersofWildlife• TheWildernessSociety

LocalNGOs:• GreatYellowstoneCoalition• AlbertaWildernessAssociation

Intergovernmentalorganizations:• NAFTA• CEC

Multi-NationalCorporations:• Timbercompanies• Miningcompanies

LocalSmallBusinesses:• Yes,avarietyhavesponsoredourworkovertheyears

Community-basedOrganizations:• RoadWatch• BowValleyNaturalists

Objectives:ProtectandconnecthabitatfromYellowstonetoYukonsothatpeopleandnaturecanthrive.Valuesandimportance:

• Natural-oneofthemostintactmountainecosystemsintheworld.• Socialandcultural–mountaincommunitieswithastrongfabricofindigenous

culturalpresenceandvalues.

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• Economic–Strongeco-tourism,alonghistoryofenergyexportation.• Political–stablebutlotsofboundarieswithinandacrosscountries.• Securityimportance–stablearea.

Aspectsoftransboundarycooperation:Natureconservation;scienceresearchisatooltodirectpriorities

Stageintheprocess:20+yearsintoimplementationwithdemonstratedsuccesses;bottomupcollaborationswithlimitedtop-downformalstructureDateEstablished:1993OfficialProtectedAreaDesignation~21%oftheY2Yregionisnowinprotectedareas

• CanadianNationalParksandReserves• AlbertaWildernessAreas• AlbertaWildernessParks• AlbertaProvincialParks• BCProvincialParks• BCConservancies• BCEcologicalReserves• NWTParcelsofConservationInterest• YukonTerritorialParks• YukonWildernessPreserves• YukonPeelRiverProtectedAreas• USNationalParks• USWilderness• USNationalMonuments

TheCatalyst:Agroupofconservationistsrealizedthatprotectedareaswhilehugelyimportantwhereinsufficienttoprotectoneofthecontinent’smostintactecosystems.ThevisionhasandstillcontinuestocompelpeopletoengagetowardthevisionofaprotectedandconnectedY2Yregion.History

1. Thecollaborativevision“toprotectandconnecthabitatacrossY2Ysothatpeopleandnaturewillthrive.Thepowerofacompellingvisioncannotbeunderestimated.

2. Leadership–themajorleadersatthetimeallunitedaroundthevision.3. Scienceattheinitiationandcontinuestodaytodefinetheplacesthatarethe

biggestpriorities

4. CommunitygroupstointernationalNGOsworkingontangibleconservationissuesacrosstheregionusingasuiteoftoolscontinuestodrivetheinitiativeforward.

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Barriers,challenges,obstacles,orconstraints:1. FearofanewentitythatmightbefromtheUnitedNationsand/ormightbea

land-grabagency.Whilethisstillpopsupfromtimetotime,thesinglebestwaytoaddressthisisthroughactiveengagementofindividualsfromY2Yworkinginpartnershiponsharedpriorities.

2. Enormousandincreasinghumanpopulationssettlinginandaroundthesouthernpartoftheregionandutilizingsignificantamountsoflandthatwereeithernaturalorinlowintensityuseaswellasincreasingpressureonpubliclandsforrecreationthatcanhaveinadvertentimpacts.Y2Yandpartnersareworkinghardtodevelopanddisseminatetoolsandapproachestoaddresstheseissuesandmaintainmountaincommunityidentitiesthatemphasizeco-existencewithwildlifeandnature.

3. Enormousandincreasingpressurearoundnaturalresourceextractionparticularlyfurthernorthintheregionbutubiquitous.KeytoaddressingthisisreframingY2Yasaglobalgemandthatthebestandhighestgoodisconservationsuchthatfornaturalresourceextractiontoadvance,theyneedtorebutthis.

4. Climatechange–fires,floods,fearcanallresultinpoliciesthatthreatenconservationgains.Planningforclimatechangeandresiliencyinnatureandincommunitiesisessential.

TheGovernanceandManagementStructures● Cooperativerelationship:Whilewehavebindingcontractstomoveforward

specificwork,thebroaderpartnershipapproachofY2Ytomoveforwardasharedvisionisvoluntaryengagement.

● Legalbasisforcooperation:n/a

● Governancestructure:AsthepromoteroftheY2Yvisionthatencouragesand

facilitatescollaborations,Y2YCIisanon-profitorganizationinbothCanadaandtheUSandisgovernedbyboardsoneachsideoftheborder.Programandprojectlevelcollaborationsareworkedoutthroughbothformalandinformalmechanisms.

● Cooperativemanagementarrangement:NotsurethisisapplicabletoY2Y.Y2Yis

anon-profitanddoesnotmanagelandsorwildlife.Results

• Inthe20yearssincetheinceptionofthesharedvisionofY2YwasarticulatedtoconnectandprotecthabitatfromtheYellowstonetotheYukonsothatpeopleandnaturecanthrive;protectedareashaveincreasedfrom11to21percentintheregion,almostdoublingtheprotectedareas.

• Intheregion,fewifanydesignatedroadwildlifecrossingstructuresexist.Todayarguablythemostprogresswildlifecrossingstructuresineachcountry(inBanffon

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theConfederatedSalishandKootenaiReservation)nowsitintheY2Yregionandmanyothercrossingstructureshavebeenbuiltorareintheplans.

• VariouslargecarnivoresintheY2Yregionhaveincreasedinpopulations.• Twocountriesagreetoplacecoaloff-limitsintheFlatheadwatershed.• Y2Yhasinspiredotherlargelandscapeeffortsaroundtheworld.• Andsomuchmore.

Whatsustainstheinitiativeisasimple,clearandpowerfulvision.LessonsLearned

• Workingtogethercansynergizetheworkofmultiplegroupstonewlevels• Bottomupandtopdownleversareultimatelyrequiredforlong-termsuccess• Engagementofcommunitywithintheregionandmorebroadlyisessential

ForMoreInformation

Name Title Organization Email Phone

StephenLegault ProgramDirectorAlbertaandNWT

Y2YCI [email protected] 4036092666

CandaceBatycki ProgramdirectorBCandYukon

Y2YCI [email protected] 2503523830

KimTrotter ProgramDirectorUS

Y2YCI [email protected] 208709-1114

BillWeber Co-chairY2Y YaleUniversity [email protected]

2023029697

Majordocumentsandothergeneralinformationareavailableathttp://www.y2y.net