In a highly contentious decision the government of the Yukon Territory has released its plan for development in the Peel River Watershed.
In a surprising decision, it went against a recommendation for 80% protected area, and instead said only 29% of the area will be protected, with existing mineral claims in those areas still valid and as such can be exploited.
The Peel watershed covers some 77,000 square kilometres, 68,000 sq kilometres is in the Yukon. It’s an area bigger than Sri Lanka, or greater than the combined area of the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut in the USA.
Over the years there has been a battle over the question of development in the area, with conservationists and native groups insisting the pristine area should be out of bounds to development, or at least strictly limited. Other interests have said the area is rich in resources with jobs and potential vast income for the territory.
The Peel Watershed Commission had made a recommendation in its final 2011 report that 80% of the area should be protected from development. The territorial government orderd the Commission to review its decision in February
The Commission later returned with its review which maintained its original 80% figure, but suggested 55% should be protected permanently with a review of the remaining area at some later point.
The government decision says 27% of the vast region is open to most types of development, and 44% open to limited mining.
Yukon Environment Minister Currie Dixon says that’s reasonable. “In close to 20,000 square kilometres of the Peel Watershed region there will be protected areas, within other parts of the Peel Region we’ve imposed and will implement a new regime of protection in the area which will allow very limited development in the majority of the Peel region,” he said.
Aboriginal groups had initially wanted 100% of the area protected. They had previously threatened legal action if the government went its own way. There is no word yet if they will proceed with a legal challenge.
Yukon Government Peel land use plan
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