Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta Territorial Protected Area

Value

Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta, also referred to as the Ramparts River and Wetlands, is located west of Fort Good Hope, in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, it borders the Mackenzie River and encompasses the Ramparts River and Wetlands Complex. Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta is identified by the K’asho Got’ine Dene and Métis of Fort Good Hope as an important ecological and cultural area with a diverse landscape which encompases extensive wetlands and incredible biodiversity. This area is rich in resources that provide hunting, fishing, trapping and other traditional activities which are integral to the K’asho Got’ine way of life. Six species at risk; the peregrine falcon, grizzly bear, mountain caribou, wolverine, short-eared owl, and boreal woodland caribou also call Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta home.

Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta is also used by Northwest Territories residents and visitors for fishing, boating, sightseeing and other recreational activities which will continue after the establishment of the Territorial Protected Area. Many species, including moose and mountain caribou, range only partially within Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta and travel across provincial and international  borders as well as the borders of the protected area. The presence of these species within Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta reflect the importance of habitat connectivity across political borders.

Boundary

The recommended boundary of Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta totals 10,050 km2. This represents 67% of the original proposed area. The 33% removed from the candidate area includes a majority of the high mineral potential; the majority of regional hydrocarbon potential remains outside of Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta and outside of other established or proposed protected areas.

Timeline

• 1990: The K’asho Got’ine have been working to protect Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta for decades, in 1990, during land claim negotiations, Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta was identified as an area to be protected from development. This area totaled 14,700 km2.
• 2006-2012: Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta was sponsored as a candidate protected area under the NWT Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) . K’asho Got’ine worked with Canada, GNWT, industry representatives and NGOs under the PAS to identify values and boundaries of Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta. A recommendation was made to establish 10,103 km2 of the original area as a National Wildlife Area using the Canada Wildlife Act.
• 2013: The Sahtu Land Use Plan was finalized after 15 years of public engagement, and through this, Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta was zoned as a Proposed Conservation Initiative.
• 2014: The NWT Devolution Agreement on Lands and Resources came into effect and transferred administration and control of public lands in the NWT from Canada to the GNWT. Candidate protected areas were put on hold in order to determine a path forward which would include a “made in the north” approach to establishing protected areas. This approach would later become the Protected Areas Act.
• 2018: Public engagement on key concepts of Protected Areas legislation occurred and informed the establishment agreement for Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta.
• April- May 2019: The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment held public hearings on the Protected Areas Act and received support from Indiginous Governments and Organizations, Environmental Non-Government Organizations, and the public.
• Present: A Preliminary screening notification for Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta has been released and the GNWT is accepting comments from the public. Learn more and make a comment here.

Next Steps:

• The Protected Areas Act, as stated by the Minister of Environment, will come into force within the life of the current Legislative Assembly.

• Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta will be established as a Territorial Protected Area using the Protected Areas Act.