Wendy L. Francis National Workshop on Large Landscape Conservation October 23, 2014 YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON: LESSONS LEARNED FROM 20 YEARS OF LARGE LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PRE-Y2Y Species by species approach (Endangered Species) Focus on protecting isolated parcels of public land (“Endangered Spaces”)

EMERGENCE OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY PRINCIPLES Wildlife population dynamics – need for large- scale connectivity Wide-ranging mammals Island biogeography Climate change

JOURNEYS OF ‘PLUIE’ THE WOLF

HOW LARGE IS ‘LARGE LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION’? Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ~ 19M acres

Crown of the Continent ~ 18M acres

Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act ~ 24M acres

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

FIRST MEETING OF THE YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION STRATEGY: DECEMBER 1993

Yellowstone to Yukon Region: 321M acres

Y2Y ATLAS

Y2Y HIKE

GRIZZLY BEAR HABITAT EFFECTIVENESS MODEL

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

NEW PROTECTED AREAS ON PUBLIC LANDS

PROTECTED CORRIDORS ACROSS PRIVATE LAND

MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF HIGHWAYS AND RAILROADS

REDUCING HUMAN- WILDLIFE CONFLICTS

RESTORING/RE- CONTOURING ROAD NETWORKS

PROMOTING COMPATIBLE DEVELOPMENT ON PUBLIC LANDS

ADVANCING CONNECTIVITY POLICIES

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 Businesse s Teck Canfor Volker Stevin 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 A MOUNTAIN OF PARTNERS

1993 Protected Other Conservation Designations

2014 Protected Other Conservation Designations

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

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

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

Thank you!