NWT Protected Area Strategy

The NWT Protected Areas Strategy

The NWT Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) outlines a community-based process to establish a network of protected areas across the NWT. It recognizes the need to balance conservation and economic development, while respecting Aboriginal rights, third party interests, and land use planning processes.

The goals of the PAS are to identify and protect:

Special natural and cultural areas in the NWT.
Core representative areas within each of the 42 ecoregions of the NWT. An ecoregion is a relatively large area with a unique mix of plants, animals, climate, and environment.

The PAS involves all people and groups with an interest in the land. It promotes a sound approach to land use decision-making by including the best available traditional, ecological, cultural, and economic knowledge.

Who guides the PAS?

A Steering Committee of 14 organizations guides the implementation of the PAS. This group advises territorial and federal ministers on how best to develop a network of protected areas across the NWT. Steering Committee members include:

Eight Aboriginal Groups & Governments

Two Industry Groups

Two Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations

The Federal and Territorial Governments

What is a ‘protected area’?

A protected area is a defined piece of land where a specific law limits the amount and type of human activity allowed, in order to prevent damage to the land. Land is protected to safeguard its special natural and cultural values.

Communities and their protected areas partners discuss why they want an area protected, and decide how much protection is needed. This helps them choose a sponsoring government agency with the appropriate laws for protecting the land. Laws give long-term protection and make it hard to change or remove the protection.

The PAS may provide one of two basic kinds of protection:

For special natural and cultural areas: Certain activities may be allowed if done in ways that people believe will work within the area. For example, territorial parks may allow some types of oil and gas exploration or business opportunities.
For representative areas within one of the NWT's 42 ecoregions: Industrial activities are not allowed. For example, National Parks do not allow industrial activities.

Why are protected areas important?

In the past decade, the NWT has experienced increasing pressure to develop northern resources. As this pressure is expected to continue, protected areas are important because they:

Help make sure our culture, land, and water stay healthy for future generations.
Provide secure habitat for the plants and animals that live in the NWT.
Ensure that responsible economic development proceeds within a sound environmental management framework.
Help the land, plants, animals, and people adapt and respond positively to the impacts of climate change.
Provide long-term opportunities for important traditional, recreational, and educational activities.
Support land use planning objectives for conservation and resource management.
Ensure the land continues to provide clean air and water, maintain natural cycles and biological diversity, and help control climate and disease.
Support scientific research and monitoring studies.
Provide increased clarity for non-renewable resource development options.
Help manage the direct and cumulative impacts of development.
Serve the long-term interests of NWT residents and all Canadians.

How does the PAS work?

The PAS process has eight basic steps. The whole process can take many years and all partners must work together through each stage to successfully set up a protected area.

The process is community-based.
Community and regional organizations partner with a “sponsoring agency”. A sponsoring agency is a government agency that administers laws that create and manage protected areas.
Traditional and scientific knowledge about the cultural, ecological and economic values of the area is gathered. Partners work together to gather and examine the best available knowledge.
Laws define and protect the area, with clear boundaries and a management plan.

What laws can create a protected area?

The PAS process uses existing federal and territorial laws to protect the land. Laws provide long-term protection and make it difficult to change or remove protection.

Current PAS sites include:

One National Historic Site, protected under the Historic Sites and Monuments Act and Territorial Lands Act.
Proposed National Wildlife Areas to be protected under the National Wildlife Act.

Parks Canada and their partners are developing some National Parks outside the PAS process. Also, the Government of the Northwest Territories is discussing using its legislation for designating protected areas.

Communities and government may also decide that the PAS is not the best way to protect a special area. The PAS complements other processes that may be used to achieve conservation goals such as land use planning, heritage sites, or heritage river designation.

Where are protected areas being established?

The PAS process is available to communities and regional organizations throughout the NWT who would like to protect special natural and cultural areas.

A goal of the PAS is to protect representative areas in each of the NWT’s 42 ecoregions.
Ecologically representative areas contain samples of all living things and various landscapes in an ecoregion. Wetlands, small streams, aspen groves, and rocky areas are all examples of important habitats.
Protecting samples of all the different types of land and water increases the chances of providing stable habitat for most of the plants and animals that typically live in the NWT.
Representative areas also help the land, plants, animals, and people adapt and respond to the impacts of climate change.

All proposed protected areas have cultural, ecological and economic values. The PAS recognizes the need to balance conservation and economic development, while respecting the rights of communities and industries.