Ch. 3 Land - Environment Yukon

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Carcross/Tagish First Nation Champagne & Aishihik First Nations Kluane First Nation Kwanlin Dun First Nation Liard First Nation Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation With the devolution of land, water, mineral and forest management and resources to the Yukon government proposed for 2001, the administration and control of most land will devolve to the Yukon government. In preparation for the management of land and Yukon First Nations Ross River Dena Council Selkirk First Nation Ta’an Kwach’an Council Teslin Tlingit Council Tr’on dëk Hwëch’in First Nation Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation White River First Nation resources, the Yukon government proposes to develop mirror legislation to the federal statutes. The Yukon government will also be proposing amendments to the Yukon Act to update and modernize the Act in line with devolution. Major Umbrella Final Agreement Land and Resource Management Committees and Boards ■ Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board ■ Salmon Sub-Committee ■ Local Renewable Resources Councils (Recommends on fish and wildlife habitat and other renewable resources) ■ Yukon Heritage Resources Board ■ Yukon Land Use Planning Council (Recommends policy and priority planning regions) ■ Regional Land Use Planning Commissions ■ Yukon Development Assessment Board (Review of development projects) ■ Kluane National Park Management Board “Let’s work side by side with traditional knowledge and the public for our future generation to be healthy and have what we’ve enjoyed in the past. I’d like to see our future was the same, to be enjoyed all our life, on this land that we live on. I’d like to see these two cultures side by side to respect each other’s knowledge.” –Roddy Blackjack, Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation Elder Under the Umbrella Final Agreement, a number of joint government and First Nation boards and committees will contribute to the management of renewable resources, land, water, and heritage resources (see side bar). The Yukon North Slope is within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Environmental assessment and resource management in this region are carried out through joint Inuvialuit and government boards and committees. Management plans have been prepared to address specific wildlife and community issues as shown opposite. Environmental assessment for projects on federal lands or involving federal money or permits is the responsibility of the federal government, as are land use activities such as mining and forestry. It is expected that by 2001, environmental assessment in the Yukon will take place under the Development Assessment Process (DAP). The parties are continuing to work towards completing the Development Assessment Process that fulfills the requirements of the UFA and is reflective of the needs of Yukoners. Consultation on the next public draft of the legislation is expected to occur in 2000. 3.1 Wilderness Wilderness means an area in the Yukon where human activity has not significantly changed the environment or the ecosystem. It includes an area restored to natural condition (Yukon Environment Act). Wilderness areas are being lost throughout the world as the human population continues to climb and the use of land and resources increases. Since 1900, the world’s population has multiplied almost fivefold and in 1999 the population of the world reached six billion. Projections of the world population are 10 billion in the year 2060 1. The ecological footprint of this 3 4 ❧ Y U K O N S T A T E O F T H E E N V I R O N M E N T R E P O R T 1999
number of humans is immense. As countries complete the industrialization process, the world-wide demand for resources and land will multiply exponentially. These forecasts allude to a profound impact on the remaining areas of wilderness in the world. While at the beginning of the 20th century, wilderness was often seen as a frontier to be pushed back, many individuals now view natural and pristine areas as essential to the maintenance of a sustainable ecosystem. For the First Nation people who still have ties to the land, the vast undeveloped regions of the Yukon are their homeland with familiar trails, campsites, fishing camps, caches and hunting areas 2. Despite a growing individual awareness of the value of wilderness, an escalating world population and demand for resources are so great that, on a global scale, there is increasing stress on the remaining wilderness areas. In many countries of the world, wilderness areas have disappeared. The Environment Act recognizes wilderness as a natural resource with ecological as well as economic value. The Act provides enabling legislation for the establishment of Wilderness Management Areas to protect the wilderness resource. Currently, the approach is to use the Yukon Parks Act and the Protected Areas Strategy to Management Plans for the Yukon North Slope Plan Yukon North Slope Wildlife Conservation and Management Plan Co-Management Plan for Grizzly Bears Management Plan for the Porcupine Caribou Herd from 1996/97 to 1999/2000 Ivvavik National Park Management Plan The Inuvik Inuvialuit Community Conservation Plan Aklavik Inuvialuit Community Conservation Plan Herschel Island Park Management Plan Responsible Agencies North Slope Wildlife Management Advisory Council Government of the Northwest Territories Porcupine Caribou Management Board Parks Canada, in cooperation with the Inuvialuit Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Association, Community Corporation and Elders Committee Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee, Community Corporation and Elders Committee Yukon Department of Renewable Resources in cooperation with the Inuvialuit Game Council, Inuvialuit Hunters and Trappers Committee and Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) “Our history, painting, literature… all have been deeply influenced and distinguished by the wilderness… As we surrender our wild heritage, we surrender much of what distinguishes us as Canadians.” –Bruce Littlejohn 1989 3. identify and protect natural areas, including wilderness lands. Wilderness Mapping Project In order to track changes in the amount of wilderness land in the Yukon, an estimate of developed, natural and wilderness lands has been calculated (Figure 3.1). The method and the limitations of the mapping project are detailed below. Technical Notes for the Preparation of the Wilderness Mapping Project ■ A sub-committee of the 1995 Yukon State of the Environment Steering Committee developed the approach to mapping wilderness based on a methodology adapted from the British Columbia Ministry of Forests 4. The approach used in 1995 has been repeated in 1999 with changes in terms of the data base used to build the wilderness map. ■ In addition to the actual development (e.g. mine site, highway), areas of varying widths (depending on the type and intensity of development) were included in the Developed or Natural Categories. The width of the buffers surrounding the various types of developments as well as the minimum area of land included in the Developed and Natural Categories are shown in Figure 3.1. Limitations of the wilderness mapping projects ■ In both 1995 and 1999 it was impossible to accurately map all developments due to the cost C H A P T E R 3 L A N D ❧ 3 5
Page 1: The Yukon is situated in the northw
Page 5 and 6: Different data sources for 1999 tha
Page 7 and 8: ■ protecting core areas within ea
Page 9 and 10: within the study area in February 1
Page 11 and 12: 3.4 Mining Mining has been an impor
Page 13 and 14: An environmental review committee,
Page 15 and 16: Reclamation and Abandonment When th
Page 17 and 18: first bar of gold on November 23, 1
Page 19 and 20: This creates uncertainty and delays
Page 21 and 22: every year in the Yukon, but the an
Page 23 and 24: Direct Costs: ■ Picking up Whiteh
Page 25 and 26: The Yukon’s beverage container re
Page 27 and 28: Contaminant? In Carcross, the recen
Page 29 and 30: PROGRESS & CHALLENGES Since the 199
Page 31 and 32: with the objective of import replac
Page 33 and 34: still exist along the old trails an
Page 35 and 36: 3.8 Tourism Tourism is gaining impo

Ch. 3 Land - Environment Yukon

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