Nik Lopoukhine - WCPA & Former Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas, B.Sc., M.Sc

The global community is engaged in a large-scale effort to reverse the loss of biodiversity around the world. Canada and 195 other countries have made specific commitments as parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Parties have renewed and clarified their commitments by adopting the Aichi Targets for 2020 and the IUCN has been busy updating its program of work to achieve global goals. International working groups have identified priorities, practices, and a suite of specific targets and actions. How does all this affect planning in the North? What are the particular opportunities and challenges here? How can we make a worthy contribution to these efforts?

Michael Barrett - Kativik Regional Government, Associate Director of the Renewable Resources, Environment, Lands and Parks Department

Regional Planning - Parks, Biodiversity and Aquatic Reserves  - Cooperating for Success  – the  Nunavik Experience  Nunavik offers a model for regional protected area planning based on consultation, partnership and community  involvement at all stages including planning and management.  The  Sanarrutik Agreement , signed in 2002, by the KRG and Makivik, with the Government of Quebec,  established a new relationship and committed to promote economic and community development for Nunavik  Inuit through long-term partnership.  The Agreement included provisions to support the development of provincial parks in Nunavik which lead to  the creation of Parc national des Pingualuit in 2004,  Kuururjuaq in 2009, Tursujuq in 2013 and Ulittaniujalik to  be created early in 2016 all together totaling 36,994 sq km.  In the last 10 years the KRG and Makivik joined with t he Government of Quebec in an effort to expand the  protected area network in Nunavik to meet a target of 20% by 2020. Consultations with the communities  produced a set of priorities as a baseline. The Kovik River and most of its watershed was identified as a first  priority. In 2015 mining claims were suspended in this 4 ,000 sq. km area as work has begun to develop a  conservation plan. Nunavik Inuit and their organizations are now guided i n all their work by Parnasimautik – an intense 2-year  consultation in the communities that led to the product ion of the 2014 Parnasimautik Consultation Report. The report sets out a blueprint for the future and calls on governments and industry to act as true partners. 

Dan Paleczny, PhD Director, Yukon Parks Branch, Department of Environment

Land use planning often occurs on a regional scale within territorial and First Nation jurisdictions in Canada. Planners, decision makers and participants in planning processes are often challenged by the question of scale--should we strictly limit our thinking to the area within the planning boundary? There are practical implications that guide this practice. However, there are also wider ecological, cultural and political strategic considerations that should be taken into account. This presentation examines the transboundary context for Yukon, by viewing Yukon and its boundaries from the perspectives of watersheds, fish and wildlife habitat needs, climate change projections, protected areas, road networks, ecoregions, and more. It suggests that if we aspire to the principles of the ecosystem approach and adaptive management, we'll need to widen our perspectives on the question of scale.