20. Stewardship - Protected Areas and Land Use Planning

Le rapport sur l’état de l’environnement 2022 est un document technique destiné à un usage interne. Il n’est disponible qu’en anglais.

Introduction
20.1 Trends in the amount of land within the Terrestrial Conservation Network
20.2 Trends in achieving ecological representation
20.3 Trends in Amount of Marine Protected Areas
20.4 Trends in Protection of Culturally Important Areas and Practices

Sunset, NWT - GNWT

Introduction

The Northwest Territories (NWT) conservation network, includes protected areas and conservation areas with complementary but less restrictive protection (e.g., conservation zones in land use plans). In the NWT, conservation areas are equivalent to other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) as defined in national and international biodiversity targets. Within the conservation network there is limited industrial impact which provides a means to measure where there will be less industrial impact on the landscape. The conservation network is also a key tool for supporting stewardship activities such as conserving biodiversity, ecosystem health, ecological processes, food security, and special natural and cultural values.

Indicators such as the percentage of land conserved are standard reporting measures for national and international State of Environment reports. Tracking stewardship and progress with respect to local decision-making is part of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

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20.1 Trends in the amount of land within the Terrestrial Conservation Network

This indicator tracks the amount of land set conserved through a terrestrial conservation network, including freshwater. Marine protected areas are reported on within indicator 20.3 – Trends in amount of marine areas within marine protected areas.

Boat, Photo provided by B. Hanna

The conservation network in the NWT consists of protected areas and conservation areas at various scales that collectively contribute to ecological, economic and social stability more than individual sites could alone. At the core of the conservation network are protected areas, which are ecologically intact and have the highest level of protection, including prohibiting industrial development. As defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, protected areas are permanent, resilient and are effectively managed and monitored (Ref. 1). Conservation areas (e.g. conservation zoning in regional land use plans), in contrast, provide complementary but less restrictive protection than protected areas, while still contributing to the conservation network by protecting various natural and cultural values.

This indicator was prepared by the Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Environment and Nature Resources, using geo-referenced spatial data obtained from the GNWT, Natural Resources Canada, Parks Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gwich’in Land Use Planning Board; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Sahtu Land Use Planning Board and Tłįchǫ Government.

NWT Focus

In the NWT, the land and water are integral to Indigenous cultures and the wellbeing of all people. A conservation network is an effective and equitable way to ensure the NWT’s cultures, land, and water stay healthy for future generations. Making sure that land in the NWT remains healthy for future generations is a priority of the GNWT.

Conservation network planning has been ongoing in the NWT for decades with the establishment of areas like the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary and several National Parks and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries. In 1999, the NWT Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) formalized a planning process in partnership with communities, governments, environmental non-governmental organizations and industry (Ref. 2). Through this community–led process, the Saoyú-ʔehdacho National Historic Site was established, several other candidate areas were identified across the territory, and assessments were conducted to work towards formal designation for these areas.

Building upon the PAS process the GNWT, in 2016, developed “Healthy Land, Healthy People: GNWT’s Priorities for Advancement of Conservation Network Planning 2016-2021” (Ref. 3), a five-year work plan that outlined how the GNWT was moving forward collaboratively with conservation network planning in the NWT which included an objective to finalize candidate areas identified through the PAS process. The GNWT is engaging on the next iteration Healthy Land, Healthy People work plan for the next five years and anticipates it will be released late in 2022.

Recognizing a need for a territorial mechanism to permanently protect these candidate areas, the GNWT, in partnership with Indigenous governments and organizations, regulatory boards, non-government organizations, industry representatives, and the public, developed the Protected Areas Act (PAA), which came into force in June of 2019. The PAA provides the legislative framework for protecting, conserving, and maintaining biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural continuity of the NWT through the creation of a network of permanent Territorial Protected Areas that are representative of the ecosystems and cultural landscapes found in the territory. The GNWT establishes Territorial Protected Areas through agreement with Indigenous governments and organizations and works to manage these areas collaboratively. To date, the GNWT has established two Territorial Protected Areas through this legislation, Thaidene Nëné and Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta.

In addition to formal designation of protected areas, using both territorial and federal mechanisms, conservation network planning in the NWT also involves the establishment of conservation areas. There are mechanisms that provide a degree of protection to the land including some designations under the Territorial Parks Act and Wildlife Conservation Areas under the NWT Wildlife Act that have regulations in place pertaining to protection. However, one of the main ways that lands in the NWT are protected outside of formal protected area designation is through conservation zoning in regional land use plans. Regional land use plans specify which land use activities are allowed in a given area. Generally, regional land use plans designate some areas where development is prohibited, referred to as conservation zoning. An approved land use plan is legally binding on all parties and is reviewed every five years so it can be adaptable to changing social, environmental and economic needs. There are approved land use plans in place for the Gwich’in Settlement Area and Sahtu Settlement Area, pursuant to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, and an additional land use plan on Tłįchǫ lands (Ref. 4-6). A land use planning process is also underway in the Dehcho Area (Ref. 7).

Current View: status and trend

The NWT conservation network includes several protected areas and conservation areas including lands administered by federal, territorial, and Indigenous governments. They differ in their management and in the type of protection provided.

Currently 170,455 km2 of NWT land (including fresh water) is in protected areas (12.7% of the NWT land base). This includes Territorial Protected Areas, National Parks/National Park Reserves, one National Historic Site (one of a kind with surface and subsurface protection), the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, and areas established under Land Claim agreements.

Based on our current knowledge, an additional 61,780 km2 of NWT land (including fresh water) is protected as conservation areas, which include Territorial Natural Environmental Parks, the Gwich’in Territorial Recreational Park, Pingo Canadian Landmark, Thaidene Nëné Wildlife Conservation Area, and conservation zoning in approved regional land use plans. In total 232,235 km2 (17.3% of the NWT land base (including freshwater)) is currently considered to be within the established conservation network. Figure 1 shows the current conservation network in the NWT.

Figure 1: Map of established terrestrial conservation network in the NWT (January 2022).

Looking around

As the most globally recognized way to conserve biodiversity, national and global biodiversity targets for protected areas have been developed. In 2010, at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the next decade was adopted, which included the launching of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The Aichi Targets include 20 individual targets, including Target 11 aimed at protecting and conserving at least 17 percent of the global land base and 10 percent of the global marine area by 2020. In response, in 2015 the Federal Government of Canada established a series of national goals known as “The 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets for Canada.” Target 1, in this set reflects the Aichi Target 11 and commits the country to the 17 and 10 percent goals by 2020.

Federal, provincial, and territorial governments agreed to work together through the Pathway to Canada Target 1 initiative to develop a plan for how jurisdictions can contribute to reaching the terrestrial component Target 1. The resulting One With Nature report provides broad guidance for this effort and further best practices and indicators for making and measuring success are being developed continually. Achieving the marine component of Target 1 is the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s responsibility.

The federal government has committed to conserve and protect 25% of Canada’s land and 25% of Canada’s oceans by 2025, and work towards 30% of each by 2030 and has committed considerable funds to achieve these goals. A global biodiversity framework for the next decade is expected to be concluded by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention of Biodiversity in 2022. This global framework is also anticipated to include a target to protect and conserve 30% of the global terrestrial land base and oceans by 2030. The GNWT will continue to engage in national conservation discussions, however decisions in the NWT will continue to be made in collaboration with Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations and stakeholder input. This work will contribute to, but is not based on, these federal targets.

The authoritative Canada-wide spatial database of protected areas is the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Information from this indicator, specifically on protected areas, is used by the following organizations and programs:

Looking forward

The GNWT is currently working on a renewed work plan to guide conservation network planning priorities in the future. This plan will inform ongoing work on the management of the conservation network, as any potential interest in new candidate areas.

Figure 2 shows both established protected and conservation areas in the NWT and all the areas currently proposed for conservation purposes. The proposed areas are at various stages of planning and most are under interim protection. They may not all become protected areas or conservation areas, and boundaries illustrated may be subject to change. The Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee continues to work on their regional land use plan. A 2006 public version has been updated but is currently not publicly available. For this reason, conservation zoning in the current interim draft Dehcho land use plan is not reflected on the map in Figure 2.

For trends in achieving ecological representation in the NWT, see Indicator 20.2.

Figure 2: Map of established and proposed conservation network in the NWT (January 2022).

Find out more

For more information:

NWT Conservation Network Planning visit https://www.ecc.gov.nt.ca/en/services/conservation-network-planning
NWT Healthy Land, Healthy People: GNWT Priorities for Advancement of Conservation Network Planning 2016-2021: https://www.ecc.gov.nt.ca/en/services/conservation-network-planning/healthy-land-healthy-people
Pathway to Canada Target 1: https://www.conservation2020canada.ca/
National Parks visit http://www.pc.gc.ca
Regional Land Use Planning visit http://www.gwichinplanning.nt.ca/index.html, http://www.sahtulanduseplan.org, http://www.dehcholands.org/, and http://tlicho.ca/government/departments/culture-lands-protection

Technical Notes

The calculation of amount of NWT lands within the NWT conservation network is based on best current information on what is a protected area and conservation area and subject to change as more information becomes available. For individual sizes and the most up-to-date information on the NWT conservation network, visit the NWT Conservation Network Planning page at https://www.ecc.gov.nt.ca/en/services/conservation-network-planning

References

Ref. 1. Dudley, N., ed. Guidelines for applying protected areas management categories. 2008, IUCN: Gland, Switzerland. x+ 86 pp. Available at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/guidelines_for_applying_protected_area_management_categories.pdf

Ref. 2. Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy Advisory Committee. 1999. Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy: A Balanced Approach to Establishing Protected Areas in the Northwest Territories. Available at: http://www.nwtpas.ca/documents/document-1999-PASmanualcomplete.pdf

Ref. 3. Environment and Climate Change, 2016. Healthy Land, Healthy People: Government of the Northwest Territories Priorities for Advancement of Conservation Network Planning 2016-2021. 2016. Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT. 20pp. Available at https://www.ecc.gov.nt.ca/en/services/conservation-network-planning/healthy-land-healthy-people

Ref. 4. Tłįchǫ Government. 2012. Tłįchǫ Wenek'e - Tłįchǫ Land Use Plan, Tłįchǫ Government: Behchokǫ̀, NT, Canada. Available at: www.tlicho.ca

Ref. 5. Sahtu Land Use Planning Board. 2013. Sahtu Land Use PlanFort Good Hope, NT, Canada: Sahtu Land Use Planning Board. Available at: http://www.sahtulanduseplan.org/website/web-content/index.html

Ref. 6. Gwich'in Land Use Planning Board. 2003. Nành Geenjit Gwitr'it T'igwaa'in, Working for the Land - The Gwich'in Land Use Plan, Gwich'in Land Use Planning Board: Inuvik, NT, Canada. p. i-166. Available at: http://www.gwichinplanning.nt.ca/landUsePlan.html

Ref. 7. Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee. 2006. Respect for the Land: The Dehcho Land Use Plan. Final Draft Plan - May 2006Fort Providence, NT: Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee. Available at: http://www.dehcholands.org/home.htm

Ref. 8. Government of Canada. 2021. Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/protected-conserved-areas-database.html.

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20.2 Trends in achieving ecological representation

J. Schroder, NWT - GNWT

This indicator tracks the ecological representation achieved by the current established conservation network in the NWT. This indicator measures the progress towards the protection of key selected landscape features (land cover types, physiographic units) and the protection of selected special features in each of the 45 NWT ecoregions used for conservation network planning.

There are many reasons to protect areas of land and water. Sometimes areas are protected for cultural reasons, or to protect habitat for a species at risk, or to preserve scenic views. These are important, but in addition to such site-specific approaches a systematic approach is required to be successful at maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.

Ecological representation is part of a systematic conservation planning approach and seeks to protect biodiversity by using relatively coarse-scale data that are thought to be good surrogates for biodiversity (e.g. physical features such as soils, elevation, climate, vegetation). The underlying assumption with this approach is that species distribution is determined largely by environmental factors, such as climate and substrate, and that vegetation and other species assemblages respond to gradients of these factors across the landscape. Protecting examples of all types of landscape features within protected areas should capture the majority of species without having to consider those species individually.

Ensuring that the conservation network is representative of the wide variety of ecosystems in the NWT is a preventative conservation network planning approach to protecting biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem health in a changing world. This is one part of a broader solution to climate change by providing refuge for increasingly threated species and ecosystems, protection from ongoing human disturbance, and allowing for monitoring to better understand the scope of change in the territory.

Ecological representation is generally assessed at an ecoregion scale. An ecoregion is an area of land considered to have a distinctive regional climate, physical features, vegetation, and soil. A total of 45 ecoregions have been identified in the NWT for conservation network planning purposes (see Figure 1). These conservation network planning ecoregions were organized based on groupings of Level IV ecoregions in the revised NWT Ecosystem Classification (Ref. 1).

This indicator was prepared by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), Department of Environment and Nature Resources, using information obtained from the Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change Division.

Figure 1: NWT ecoregions for conservation network planning Source: ECC, GNWT