Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun are discouraged by the Yukon Government’s policy for the stewardship of wetlands, released January 10, 2023, which fails to address First Nation’s concerns.

The traditional territories of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun are home to some of the most vulnerable and rare wetland types in the Yukon. Despite their rarity and significance, these sensitive habitats are under constant threat from destruction. In many areas, such as the Indian River Valley, important wetland classes are already at risk of extinction, having faced relentless and unfettered devastation from mining over the last several decades. Once peatlands like bogs and fens are destroyed, these important landscapes will not return.

Wetlands perform many critical ecological functions: they purify freshwater, store carbon, control flooding and provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife, fish, and plants. Wetlands support cultural uses and activities such as hunting, trapping, and fishing. The policy for the stewardship of wetlands acknowledges the various and important benefits provided by wetlands yet fails to expeditiously protect these important ecosystems.

Yukon Government’s policy for the stewardship of wetlands has not applied a protection first approach to wetlands. Instead, while acknowledging that there exists a minimal understanding of benefits, location, type, and extent of wetlands across the Yukon, this policy allows for continued development of all wetland classes and offers minimal guidance as to when and how impacts can be avoided and/or mitigated. The protection mechanisms that are offered, remain administratively burdensome, and the process lacks effective protective measures for wetlands of special importance.

The impact of a changing climate on wetlands, and the significant role these ecosystems will play in our race against time to prevent or limit catastrophic harm from climate change, is of particular concern. Peatlands remain a major carbon storehouse, holding carbon that has accumulated over thousands of years. The destruction of carbon rich peatlands allowed under this policy, will release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, further undermining our collective ability to fight climate change. The cumulative loss of these important ecosystems, and the impacts this is having on our culture and our Final Agreement rights, cannot be overstated.

The alteration and dramatic changes that occur to the landscape once wetlands have been mined alienates our citizens from our own land and interferes with our ability to exercise treaty rights for hunting, fishing, and enjoying other spiritual and cultural activities.

“Our culture is passed down onto future generations through these activities, and as we are further removed from the land, we are further removed from our culture. If we are unable to perform traditional activities that rely on the undisturbed, natural existence of wetlands, our culture and our identity may be lost forever. This is in breach of our Treaty with the Crown.”