Yellowstone to Yukon: Lessons Learned from 20 Years of Large Landscape Conservation

1. Yellowstone to Yukon: Lessons Learned from 20 Years of Large Landscape Conservation Wendy L. Francis National Workshop on Large Landscape Conservation October 23, 2014

2. Biodiversity Conservation pre-Y2Y • Species by species approach (Endangered Species) • Focus on protecting isolated parcels of public land (“Endangered Spaces”)

3. Emergence of conservation biology principles • Wildlife population dynamics – need for large-scale connectivity • Wide-ranging mammals • Island biogeography • Climate change

4. Journeys of ‘pluie’ the wolf

5. How large is ‘large landscape conservation’? • Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ~ 19M acres

6. Crown of the Continent ~ 18M acres

7. Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act ~ 24M acres

8. I wrote the words “Yellowstone to Yukon” with the conviction that this was the right scale at which to think and act. - Harvey Locke

9. First meeting of the Yellowstone to Yukon biodiversity conservation strategy: December 1993

10. Yellowstone to Yukon Region: 321M acres

11. Y2Y Atlas

12. Y2Y Hike

13. Grizzly Bear Habitat Effectiveness Model

14. Cores and Corridors • New protected areas on public lands • Protected corridors across private lands • Mitigating the impacts of highways and railroads • Reducing human-wildlife conflict • Restoring/re-contouring road networks • Promoting compatible development on public lands • Advancing connectivity policies

15. New Protected areas on public lands

16. Protected corridors across private land

17. Mitigating the impact of highways and railroads

18. Reducing human-wildlife conflicts

19. Restoring/re-contouring road networks

20. Restoring/re-contouring road networks

21. Restoring/re-contouring road networks

22. Promoting compatible development on public lands

23. Advancing connectivity policies

24. A mountain of partners NGOs • National Parks Conservation Association • Headwaters Montana • Defenders of Wildlife • Yaak Valley Forest Council • Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness • Center for Large Landscape Conservation • The Wilderness Society • Wildlands Network • Wildlife Conservation Society • Wildsight • Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society • Sierra Club BC • Peace Valley Environment Association Academic Institutions • University of Montana • Western Transportation Institute • Miistakis Institute Government Agencies • US Fish and Wildlife Service • Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks • Parks Canada First Nations/Native American Tribes • Nez Perce Tribe • Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe • West Moberly First Nations • Treaty 8 First Nations Land Trusts • TNC Montana and Idaho • Nature Conservancy of Canada • Vital Ground • Nature Trust of BC Businesses • Teck • Canfor • Volker Stevin

25. 1993 Protected Other Conservation Designations

26. 2014 Protected Other Conservation Designations

27. Protected • Canadian National Parks and Reserves • Alberta Wilderness Areas • Alberta Wilderness Parks • Alberta Provincial Parks • BC Provincial Parks • BC Conservancies • BC Ecological Reserves • NWT Parcels of Conservation Interest • Yukon Territorial Parks • Yukon Wilderness Preserves • Yukon Peel River Protected Areas • US National Parks • US Wilderness • US National Monuments • US National Wildlife Refuges

28. Other Conservation Designations • Alberta Natural Areas • Alberta Provincial Recreation Areas • BC private conservancy lands • BC High Conservation Value Forests • BC Special Management Zones • BC Old Growth Management Areas • BC Ungulate Winter Range • BC Wildlife Management Areas • NWT Conservation Zones • Yukon Natural Environment Parks • Yukon Special Management Areas • Yukon Restricted Use Wilderness Areas • MT Legacy Project Lands • US private conservancy lands • US Grizzly Bear Recovery Zones • US National Recreation Areas • US National Recreation Rivers • USFS Administrative Designations • US National Wildlife Refuges • US Roadless Rule lands • US National Wild and Scenic Rivers • US Path of the Pronghorn • US Wilderness Study Areas

29. 20 Years of Lessons Learned by Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative • A bold and positive vision can inspire others to act: don’t be timid! • Large scale planning identifies priorities; action/implementation still occurs at a local-scale • Large landscape conservation consists of a mosaic of actions at different scales: large protected areas, small protected private parcels, highway/railway mitigation, co-existence with carnivores, restoration work, road density and access management, municipal planning . . . • NGOs, government, industry, private landowners, and tribes each play a unique role; it’s best if we all work together

30. Thank you!