5.3.2 Plant And Animal Relations
Biodiversity is fundamental to human well-being, a healthy planet, and economic prosperity for all people, including for living well in balance and in harmony with Mother Earth. We depend on it for food, medicine, energy, clean air and water, security from natural disasters as well as recreation and cultural inspiration, and it supports all systems of life on Earth.
Healthy plant and animal populations that can support sustainable harvests now and for future generations are very important to the Region’s whole community. Because of this, maintaining healthy habitats is a significant planning issue and an end goal for many values. The Plan promotes proactive stewardship and protection from threats (see also Sections 5.2.6 and 5.2.7). The Plan encourages people to show respect to all animals and plants in recognition of what they provide for us.
Plant and Animal Relations and their habitats are often protected by policy and legislation tools, many of which are organized around human activities that affect the environment, such as industry regulations. Some species of wildlife can be protected through Wildlife Key Areas (WKAs), which are mapped habitats used by animals in different seasons (86). Legislation in the Region that speaks directly to wildlife includes:
- Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement, Chapter 16
- Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Fish and Wildlife Act (2009)
- Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Heritage Act (2016)
- Species at Risk Act (SC 2002, 29)
- Wildlife Act (RSY 2002, 229)
- Fisheries Act (RSC, 1985, F-14)
- Migratory Birds Convention Act (C. 1994, c.22)
The Plan speaks specifically to individual animal species for a variety of reasons. Some have extreme cultural or ecological importance or require specific management directions; some are particularly important to, or sensitive to disturbance from, cultural and economic land-based activities; some species fall into both categories.
For this reason, Salmon, Caribou, and Moose are each their own value (Sections 5.3.3, 5.3.4, and 5.3.5, respectively). The presence, absence, or order of presentation of species or groups does not reflect a hierarchy; some are more visible than others in this Plan, but all are important and connected to each other. Some groupings are described below.
Birds (Chuga): The Region is home to many birds, some stay year-round, some stay for a season, and some pass through on annual migrations. Many different habitats are important to birds . The Tintina Trench is an important flyway for vast numbers of migratory birds, whose numbers across North America have decreased by nearly a third since 1970. Raptors often use the same nest site year after year, some species in the alpine and others on river corridors and wetlands are critical for waterfowl and some types of songbirds. Many birds are culturally important, like raven (tätrą̀ʼ) and grey jay (jorn), who feature prominently in Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in teachings. Others are harvested, including grouse, ducks, and geese.
Resident fish (Łuk): Arctic grayling (srejil), burbot (chehlùk), northern pike (ëlchän), round whitefish (łuk dhey), and other non-migratory fish are important for non-commercial harvest and can be affected by many activities through impacts to waterways and riparian areas. Most populations live in streams, rivers, and off-channel habitats in the summer, and some are known to migrate to lakes to overwinter.
Furbearers: Some animals, including lynx (ninju), marten (tsǔk), and beaver (tsàʼ) are trapped for their fur, which is used to make clothing and provide income. While these animals are grouped by what they provide for people, they all have ecological roles. Beavers, for example, are “ecosystem engineers” and create habitats for other animals through their activities. The wetlands they create also affect people by filtering water, buffering flood events, or damaging infrastructure.
Predators: Animals like grizzly bears (shär cho) and wolves (zhur) play important ecological roles as they interact with their prey species. They can also pose a risk to human safety if attractants are not managed well when people are out on the land. Grizzly bear habitat requirements span large areas and multiple ecosystems, making them good indicators of landscape health. Some predators are also trapped for their fur, such as wolves and foxes.
Insects (Gu): Insects can be easily overlooked, but they play valuable roles in ecosystems, from being food for birds and fish to pollinating plants. They can have positive and negative impacts on forest and crop health, and these patterns which may shift in response to climate change. Globally, insects are experiencing declines.
Sheep (Dëbe): Sheep live in high-elevation and alpine habitats and return to the same winter ranges, lambing areas, and migration corridors. Key habitat for sheep in the Region includes alpine tundra, mountain ranges, and south-facing river cliffs, benches, and rocky outcrops on steep valley sides, especially in the Yukon River Corridor between the confluence of the Yukon and White rivers and Minto (year-round); and relatively snow-free, wind-swept slopes (winter).
The highest quality sheep habitat in the Region is found in LMU 1: Tthetäwndëk (Tatonduk), LMU 4: Tsey Dëk (Fifteenmile), LMU 5: Ddhäl Ch’ël Settlement Land (Tombstone), LMU 7: Wehtr’e (Antimony), and LMU 13: Dempster Highway Corridor.
The promises Tsà’ Wëzhè made in the long-ago times are the core of our identity as Dënezhu, the source of our wealth, the reason we endure and the root of our kinship with the land and our animal relatives, those with fur or fins or feathers leaves or needles or berries or flowers, two legs or four legs, more legs or none who taught us how to survive, but also how to live. These promises are happy obligations because when we look after our relatives, they look after us.
Populations in the Region are often at the northern limit of a species’ range. These northern populations are especially important because shifting northward is one way species can adapt to climate change (94). Some species in the Region require special consideration because they are rare, endemic (not found anywhere else), or “at-risk” (threatened, endangered, and so on). Some of these species are managed under recovery strategies or management plans by the federal government. The Yukon Conservation Data Centre tracks the location and status of species of conservation concern and rare species in the Yukon.
Endemic species play unique ecological roles and contribute to the overall biodiversity of important ecosystems, such as low-elevation steppe meadows and alpine areas. Many endemic species are vulnerable to disturbances because of their limited range and specific habitat requirements.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is responsible for assessing species nationally and recommending them for listing under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA; SC 2002, c.29). Listing under SARA brings into force requirements that apply on federal lands and federally managed species across the country. Some examples of federally listed species are grizzly bear, wolverine, olive-sided flycatcher, and gypsy cuckoo bumblebee.
To be listed, a species must first be assessed. This means a species or population can be at risk, but not yet identified or listed. The Yukon does not have territorial species-at-risk legislation or threat assessment, so locally threatened species that are healthy elsewhere in the country may not be identified, and locally healthy populations might be part of a federally threatened species.
The Government of Yukon has committed to establishing complementary legislation and programs to effectively monitor, assess, and protect species-at-risk. It has also identified four species (cougar, gyrfalcon, trumpeter swan, and peregrine falcon) as “specially protected” from harvest under its Wildlife Act (RSY 2002, c.229).
Key Planning Issues
- Land use activities have the potential to negatively impact wildlife. This can be particularly significant when critical habitats are affected, or when impacts occur during critical times of year.
- Possible impacts include:
- Direct injury or mortality from conflict with humans.
- Disturbance during feeding, caring for offspring, mating, or other behaviours that can lead to poor health or decreased reproductive success.
- Disturbance resulting in avoidance behaviour, limiting an animal’s access to food or other needs – for example, mineral licks.
- Habitat degradation.
- Habitat fragmentation.
- Many indirect effects from altered species and ecosystem dynamics – for example, increasing predation or decreasing availability of a prey species.
- Critical habitat, sometimes documented through Wildlife Key Areas, varies widely by species, demographic, and season.
- The variety of wildlife in the Region and their habitat needs creates a large amount of information to consider.
- Many ecosystems important for wildlife are also used for human activities – for example, wetlands and waterways.
- The quality and resolution of information available on population health and the timing of wildlife movement are variable, as is the accessibility of information to project proponents or land users. Some information is intentionally not made public – for example, location of raptor nest sites to protect them from illegal activities.
- Some animal-specific issues include the following:
- Fish are sensitive to disturbances to their aquatic habitat, including changes in water quality and quantity, especially over-wintering and spawning areas which are critical to survival.
- Sheep are vulnerable to disturbance from various activities (for example, low-flying aircraft), especially during lambing season in May to June.
- Animals with large home ranges (for example, grizzly bears) or migratory species (for example, mountain caribou) require large areas of intact and connected habitat.
- The projected loss of habitat as a result of climate change, and potential adverse impacts from mineral exploration and development are of particular concern for spiked saxifrage and Yukon podistera.
- Insects like bees are important for pollination of native plants and agricultural crops. Bee populations have declined in southern Canada, and some species in the Yukon are listed under SARA as at risk, such as the gypsy cuckoo bumblebee. Threats include competition from honeybees and non-native insects introduced for agriculture, which may also bring diseases.
- Environmental shifts, including those related to climate change, can result in vegetation shifts and changes in land use patterns by wildlife. This can lead to changes in temporal and spatial overlaps with human activities, and potential for human–wildlife conflict.
- Invasive plant species are often adapted to establishing in disturbed areas, and can outcompete local species.
- Climate change brings opportunities for non-native species to establish and persist at increased rates, which can change ecosystem dynamics.
Goals
- Animal and plant populations and their habitats are healthy and resilient, and able to adapt to changing conditions, including the impacts of climate change, and meet the needs of the community.
- Ecosystems are intact and connected and can support healthy plant and animal populations.
- Stewardship towards plants and animals is widely adopted.
- The incidence of human–wildlife conflict is low.
Stewardship Directions
- When engaging in activities on the land, treat all plants and animals with care and respect.
- When undertaking research, monitoring, and sampling, prioritize non-invasive and minimally disruptive methods.
- When planning and proposing projects, show how you have applied the mitigation hierarchy to:
- Important habitat areas for species present in, or potentially impacted by, project activities. This is especially important for Wildlife Key Areas for species identified as priority LMU values, mineral licks, and other critical habitats, as indicated by knowledge holders.
- Species of cultural and ecological importance, as identified in LMU priority values (see also Sections 5.3.3 to 5.3.5).
- Timing windows that respect seasonal or condition-dependent use of habitats by animals. For example Freshwater Timing Windows Identified for the Yukon (102); avoid the Tintina Trench flyway and other high-concern areas for migratory birds during key spring and fall migratory periods; avoid disturbing wildlife from air or ground in late winter (late winter habitat), and during lambing and calving (lambing and calving grounds respectively).
- When undertaking revegetation (for example, during reclamation), choose plant species with care to avoid introducing invasive species.
- Do not directly disturb spawning, over-wintering, or rearing habitats for juvenile freshwater fish.
- Avoid directly or indirectly blocking all fish migration routes.
- Identify and document species-at-risk or rare endemic species in the project area before submitting a project for assessment.
- Integrate federal species-at-risk recovery strategies into project plans.
Implementation Actions
- Monitor the spread of invasive species and respond as required.
- Promote biocultural and climate monitoring that incorporates land-based knowledge.
- Promote storytelling and teachings that highlight our relationships with animal and plant kin and our interconnectedness.
- Develop and promote educational tools to encourage stewardship of wildlife habitat.
- Continue to implement the Conservation Plan for Grizzly Bears in Yukon (91) in collaboration with the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, with specific attention to Goal #2 (“Take care of the land and other species that grizzly bears require”).
- Protect sheep habitat and limit disturbance during key times (for example, lambing, over-winter).
- Continue to implement, develop, and improve monitoring of, and management plans for, wildlife Integrate community monitoring and land guardian programs into existing data collection efforts.
- Update and improve habitat suitability maps and modelling for wildlife, including Wildlife Key Areas, using all forms of knowledge.
- Continue to monitor the distribution of federally listed species-at-risk and ensure proactive management and recovery actions can be undertaken to ensure their continued prosperity within the Region.
Governance Recommendations
- Regularly review, update, and improve legislation relevant to the protection and stewardship of Plant and Animal Relations.
Knowledge Gaps
- Understanding of the impacts of climate change on wildlife directly, and on wildlife habitat and ecosystems at large, has many gaps. Continue to support and fund initiatives to better understand the impacts of climate change in the Region. This includes full consideration of Traditional Knowledge, which is particularly important for informing our understanding of climate change impacts in northern ecosystems. Research initiatives may include:
- Wildlife species-specific or multi-species vulnerability assessment, and climate-induced shifts in species distribution.
- How climate-driven shifts impact land use patterns and the pursuit of traditional economic activities.
- Identification of refugia areas for plants, fish, and wildlife.
- In partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Service and other relevant planning partners, build knowledge of the location of key staging and nesting areas for migratory birds in the Region. Anticipate and monitor how projected climate change, such as shifts in freeze–thaw cycles, could alter accessibility, timing, and use of these areas.
- There is incomplete documentation of key aquatic habitats for resident fish species in the Region. Work collaboratively with DDRRC and the YFWMB to define and map these, with a focus on spawning and over-wintering habitat within ISA3s, ISA4s, and LMU 3: Chu Kon Dëk (Yukon River Corridor). Data should be made publicly available.
- The Parties should work together, and collaboratively with other planning partners (for example, DDRRC and YFWMB) to continue research to understand grizzly bears in the Region, building on recent population studies by the Government of Yukon. Management decisions for grizzly bear habitat should have a strong foundation in local and Traditional Knowledge.
Key considerations for a research and monitoring program should focus on identifying and mapping key habitat areas, as well as other research topics identified under Goal #3 of the Conservation Plan for Grizzly Bears in Yukon (2019).
To better understand how climate change may influence human–grizzly bear conflict, monitor climate change impacts to grizzly bears, including their seasonal behaviour and food sources. - Identify species-at-risk, rare endemic species, and the habitats in the Region that face the highest risk from climate change, to inform the ongoing management of activities in those areas.