Parks - IUCN

PARKS VOL 9 NO 3 • OCTOBER 1999
we are. In this sense, Y2Y as a place, is a force that shapes us as people and
communities, binding us together in profound ways.
So what have we learned in the last seven years?
With meetings at least every six months for the last seven years, those involved in
Y2Y have had the opportunity to learn about ecological connections and issues that
previously were foreign (literally). The strategising and frequent interaction – on
foot/skis/snowshoes – have changed the atmosphere for conservation in this part of
the world in important ways. And the process of sharing information and exploring
issues at larger scales is changing how conservation is pursued in the region.
First, local activists, who often feel isolated and overwhelmed by powerful
opponents, are beginning to feel they are part of a larger family of concerned
individuals, who can lend a hand or provide some necessary expertise. Regular
postings on the computer listserv (125+ participants) include requests for economic,
scientific, or other kinds of advice, pleas for letters of support, or calls for help.
Second, through this kind of interchange, in several cases conservationists have
created opportunities to pursue issues differently – with some success. For example,
Y2Y network members were able to help shine a spotlight on the ecologically critical
Bow Valley near Banff and remind local elected officials of the international
biological consequences of their development decisions in this area. US activists also
played a small but helpful part at the final stage of a campaign to protect the vast
Muskwa-Kechika area in northern British Columbia, and are now involved with
helping Canadian activists press for an Endangered Species Act in Canada.
Third, we developed a first-ever assessment of the Yellowstone to Yukon region,
its natural and cultural resources, as well as the threats to its integrity. Blessed with
contributions from world-class experts in biological sciences, anthropology, and
economics, the ‘Y2Y atlas’ (A Sense of Place: Issues, Attitudes, and Resources in the
Y2Y Eco-region) proved to be an important first step. It helped us to define this as
a unique region, compile information concerning ecological, cultural, and economic
differences and similarities within this region and – perhaps most important – develop
one coherent map.
This map also told several important stories, including the following:
❚ given road building, logging, oil and gas development, and settlement patterns
directly north and south of the 49th Parallel – the international boundary between
Canada and the US – the two countries could be ecologically severed in a number
of places if current development trends continue;
❚ the southern Y2Y region is a land of fragmented island ecosystems, whereas the
northern portion is a landscape still significantly wild. The implication is that in the
south, protecting and maintaining all remaining wildlands and linkages, as well as
restoration of degraded areas are the primary conservation tasks. In the north, the
key issue is protection of vast wildlands before similar fragmentation takes place;
❚ socio-economically, southern British Columbia and Alberta are undergoing rapid
change similar to what has been happening in much of the Northern Rockies in the
US. Much can be gained through sharing knowledge about approaches effective in
addressing growth issues. In addition, throughout the Y2Y region there has been a
dramatic economic shift toward new amenity-based sources of income: tourism,
recreation, retirement, and ‘foot-loose entrepreneurs’ moving to this area seeking a
clean environment and a high quality of life;
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