5.3.7 Wetlands

Wetlands are areas that typically have water at or near the ground surface during some or all of the year. An area is considered a wetland when water remains long enough for poorly drained soil to form, and for water-loving plants to become the dominant vegetation. Wetlands cover about 10 to 12% of the Region and are often sites of land-use conflict because of their socio-cultural and environmental importance overlaps with a high potential for placer mining.

Wetlands support wildlife and fish communities and, for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, are places of immense historic and cultural value where subsistence harvest and cultural connection can occur. There are numerous benefits that wetlands provide, including fish and wildlife habitat, water storage and regulation, carbon storage, erosion control, regulation of water flow, and flood mitigation.

Impacts on these wetland values have downstream repercussions and risk negatively affecting interrelated environmental and social systems. Because wetlands are interconnected with the rest of the landscape, activities upstream of and adjacent to them also affect wetland health. When they are not altered, disturbed, or thawed, wetlands are a globally significant carbon reservoir. Wetland disruptions and thawing of permafrost releases greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, which further contribute to climate change.

There are five wetland classes in the Yukon: bogs, fens, swamps, marshes, and shallow open water. Their form and function are shaped by topography, hydrology, and soil conditions. Bogs typically occur in flat, poorly drained upland areas where precipitation exceeds evaporation, leading to the accumulation of peat and acidic conditions. Fens, in contrast, are found in low-lying areas with continuous groundwater flow, resulting in more nutrient-rich and less acidic environments that support a diverse array of plant species. Swamps are generally located in forested lowlands or along river margins, where standing or slow-moving water supports woody vegetation and dynamic ecological processes. Bogs, fens, and some swamps are characterized by having peat, an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that takes a very long time to form and is difficult, if not impossible, to restore once it is disturbed.

Marshes are wetlands dominated by plants such as grasses and sedges, while shallow open water wetlands are areas with standing water less than two metres deep that typically supporting aquatic vegetation. These wetland types are generally easy to identify on the ground.

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Ducks Unlimited Canada have completed a watershed-level wetland classification mapping project in the Region. Ongoing work will produce further wetland mapping for the Region, which should help identify the extent, location, and classification of the Region’s wetlands.

The overlap between wetlands and mineral interests is largely a function of topography and geological history. Many wetlands are situated in valley bottoms, floodplains, and low-lying basins. These areas also tend to concentrate mineral deposits due to sedimentary processes and glacial activity. They often contain gold and other valuable minerals, which makes them attractive for exploration and development.

However, the ecological sensitivity of wetlands, combined with their cultural and subsistence importance to local communities and the ecosystem services they offer, creates a complex challenge for land use planning. In areas where wetlands and mineral interests overlap, the local placer industry is encouraged to take a measured approach and to protect cultural and ecological values. Under existing standards, completed wetland reclamation generally does not restore the original class and function.

The current regulatory system and reporting requirements do not provide enough protection for the cultural and ecological values of wetlands. Continued improvement will be necessary to reach an acceptable level of protection. This includes successor legislation, enhancements to the Government of Yukon’s Policy for the Stewardship of Yukon’s Wetlands (hereafter Wetlands Policy), advancement of the cumulative effects framework, creation of a publicly available wetland inventory, and development of a reporting and monitoring system.

While the Wetlands Policy is intended to guide wetland management across the Yukon, it should only supersede the Plan’s Stewardship Directions if it meets or exceeds them. Effective wetland management in the Region must be guided by the best available information, including evolving data on wetland location, functions and benefits, cultural importance and traditional use, climate change impacts, and reclamation effectiveness. As ecosystems respond to climate change, wetland characteristics are also likely to shift over time, reinforcing the need for adaptive and informed policy tools.

Mitigation Hierarchy

Because wetlands are ecologically sensitive and culturally significant, and because we know relatively little about how to restore them, the mitigation hierarchy must be applied rigorously to all development activities that intersect with wetlands. This approach provides a structured framework to reduce impacts and uphold stewardship responsibilities.

1. Avoidance is the most effective way to protect wetland values and should be prioritized wherever possible. The overlap between placer mining potential and wetland distribution is extensive, particularly in valley bottoms and low-lying basins. High-resolution imagery and detailed wetland mapping are essential tools for identifying wetlands and setting clear avoidance targets. These targets could include thresholds for the percentage of wetland area to be left undisturbed within a watershed or sub-region, especially for peat-forming wetlands like bogs and fens that are difficult or impossible to restore.
2. Land users should employ minimization strategies when avoidance is not feasible. High-resolution imagery and site-specific data are critical for designing operations that reduce the spatial footprint and hydrological disruption of wetlands. Techniques may include seasonal timing of activities, sediment control measures, and buffer zones to protect adjacent wetland functions.
3. Land users must follow the values-based reclamation framework (Section 3.11), which emphasizes values-based outcomes.
4. Offsetting is the final step when original wetland benefits cannot be fully restored. It may involve restoring historic mining disturbances elsewhere in the Region. While offsetting to alternate wetland outcomes may provide some ecological benefit, it must be carefully weighed against the loss of original wetland functions, especially cultural and subsistence values. Offset projects should be designed to complement regional conservation goals, and these projects should be subject to public reporting and review.

Wetlands of Special Importance

Through the Wetlands Policy, wetlands with unique ecological characteristics, cultural significance, or important benefits may be designated as Wetlands of Special Importance (WSI). The Government of Yukon has committed to ensuring “no loss or reduction of wetland benefits” in these areas. However, WSI designation does not automatically prohibit land disposition, mineral staking, exploration, or mining. To receive new authorization in a WSI, proponents must demonstrate during the assessment process how their project will maintain wetland benefits.

The Plan nominates four wetland complexes in the Region for Wetlands of Special Importance status (Figure 13). A wetland may be designated as a WSI if it meets one or more of the 10 established criteria. Each wetland complex serves as a critical carbon reservoir, making it eligible for designation on that basis alone. In addition, all four wetland complexes are likely to be considered an intact representative wetland in watersheds where further alteration or loss will cross an accepted ecological or management threshold, (per the Wetlands Policy). Pending input from Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the Government of Yukon may also consider each wetland complex to be considered of significant social or cultural importance. Further criteria may also be met as more data are collected.

While the WSI designation will provide some protection to the listed wetlands, and the Wetlands Policy encourages protective best practices, together they still fall short of the level of protection wetlands warrant across the Region for their cultural and ecological significance. This Plan therefore requires additional measures to protect wetlands in the form of the Stewardship Directions below, as well as recommendations to the Parties to strengthen their respective policies.