Interim Wek’èezhı̀ı Boreal Caribou Range Plan
This engagement was completed.
Cliquez ici pour consulter la présente page en français.
Overview
The Government of Northwest Territories committed to developing an interim range plan to protect critical caribou habitat in the Wek’èezhı̀ı portion of the NWT boreal caribou range.
A draft plan has been developed in collaboration with Indigenous Governments and Organizations; the federal government; the Wek’èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board; and GNWT departments. The plan includes Indigenous knowledge and input from elders, harvesters, and youth from the affected areas collected by Indigenous Governments and Organizations. Development of the plan was guided by the NWT Framework for Boreal Caribou Range Planning.
We want your feedback to make sure the final product considers many values and perspectives.
Background
This plan will be in-force until at least 2023 – when the full range planning exercise for the Wek’èezhı̀ı area is expected to be complete.
What the plan covers
The range plan aims to answer some key questions within the Wek’èezhı̀ı region:
- Which areas are most important to the caribou?
- How much natural disturbances can caribou handle (i.e. wildfire)?
- How much human disturbance can caribou handle (i.e. roads, industrial development, etc)?
From there, the range plan breaks down areas within this region into “management classes” – meaning the level of management actions needed in each area to protect caribou habitat.
The three management classes used are:
- Basic – Development can proceed under normal conditions; fire management goes ahead as-normal
- Enhanced – Development is more carefully managed; extra fire prevention activities are considered
- Intensive – New habitat disturbances in the area are limited as much as possible; key patches of caribou habitat are increased in priority during firefighting where possible
The draft interim range plan maps and defines areas where each of these apply and proposes some steps to take to protect the caribou population in the area.
How the plan was developed
The draft plan braids Indigenous knowledge and lived experience, community plans and values, and scientific data.
The GNWT worked with a number of organizations to draft the plan:
- Tłı̨chǫ Government
- North Slave Métis Alliance
- Yellowknives Dene First Nation
- Wek’èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
The Tłı̨chǫ Government and North Slave Métis Alliance also authored sections of the plan detailing how they documented Indigenous knowledge of boreal caribou to support development of the plan.
Next Steps
Engagement results will be summarized in a What We Heard report before an Interim Wek’èezhı̀ı Boreal Caribou Range Plan is released.
The results of engagement will also be shared through regular meetings with all co-management partners.
Your contributions will be considered in finalizing the interim range plan to protect and conserve caribou habitat in the region.
All feedback will be provided to the Wek’èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board for their consideration in their final assessment of the plan to the GNWT.
Cliquez ici pour consulter la présente page en français.
Overview
The Government of Northwest Territories committed to developing an interim range plan to protect critical caribou habitat in the Wek’èezhı̀ı portion of the NWT boreal caribou range.
A draft plan has been developed in collaboration with Indigenous Governments and Organizations; the federal government; the Wek’èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board; and GNWT departments. The plan includes Indigenous knowledge and input from elders, harvesters, and youth from the affected areas collected by Indigenous Governments and Organizations. Development of the plan was guided by the NWT Framework for Boreal Caribou Range Planning.
We want your feedback to make sure the final product considers many values and perspectives.
Background
This plan will be in-force until at least 2023 – when the full range planning exercise for the Wek’èezhı̀ı area is expected to be complete.
What the plan covers
The range plan aims to answer some key questions within the Wek’èezhı̀ı region:
- Which areas are most important to the caribou?
- How much natural disturbances can caribou handle (i.e. wildfire)?
- How much human disturbance can caribou handle (i.e. roads, industrial development, etc)?
From there, the range plan breaks down areas within this region into “management classes” – meaning the level of management actions needed in each area to protect caribou habitat.
The three management classes used are:
- Basic – Development can proceed under normal conditions; fire management goes ahead as-normal
- Enhanced – Development is more carefully managed; extra fire prevention activities are considered
- Intensive – New habitat disturbances in the area are limited as much as possible; key patches of caribou habitat are increased in priority during firefighting where possible
The draft interim range plan maps and defines areas where each of these apply and proposes some steps to take to protect the caribou population in the area.
How the plan was developed
The draft plan braids Indigenous knowledge and lived experience, community plans and values, and scientific data.
The GNWT worked with a number of organizations to draft the plan:
- Tłı̨chǫ Government
- North Slave Métis Alliance
- Yellowknives Dene First Nation
- Wek’èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
The Tłı̨chǫ Government and North Slave Métis Alliance also authored sections of the plan detailing how they documented Indigenous knowledge of boreal caribou to support development of the plan.
Next Steps
Engagement results will be summarized in a What We Heard report before an Interim Wek’èezhı̀ı Boreal Caribou Range Plan is released.
The results of engagement will also be shared through regular meetings with all co-management partners.
Your contributions will be considered in finalizing the interim range plan to protect and conserve caribou habitat in the region.
All feedback will be provided to the Wek’èezhı̀ı Renewable Resources Board for their consideration in their final assessment of the plan to the GNWT.
Status
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Open
Interim Wek’èezhı̀ı Boreal Caribou Range Plan has finished this stageEngagement underway from August 17, 2021 to October 1, 2021.
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Under Review
Interim Wek’èezhı̀ı Boreal Caribou Range Plan has finished this stage -
Completed
Interim Wek’èezhı̀ı Boreal Caribou Range Plan is currently at this stageInput was accepted by email, phone, and mail.
