For wildlife to thrive, they need a secure habitat. Canada, fortunately, still has many large and globally important wild areas where wildlife thrive in intact ecosystems. But these areas have not retained their wild character through good planning or political foresight. Instead, they are simply remote enough that industrial activities – such as logging, mining, dams, roads, and agriculture – have not reached them yet.  

At WCS Canada, we are working to build a case for farsighted conservation planning in these last big intact wild areas.  We have carefully studied how species such as caribou and wolverine use these landscapes, where natural connections still exist -- including within waterways -- and how planning processes could be changed to better ensure the future survival of wide-ranging species in these areas.  We are also supporting Indigenous communities in integrating scientific tools and traditional knowledge into monitoring programs to evaluate how their homelands are being impacted by climate change and industrial development.

From the Arctic Ocean and the Northern Boreal Mountains of Yukon to the far north in Ontario, this might be our last chance to get conservation planning right before the cumulative impacts of development and climate change alter these landscapes forever. Our research is helping to create an understanding of the importance of these intact wild areas and the need for new approaches.

Learn more about our work in key wild areas:

Photo credits: Banner | Garth Lenz ©, William Halliday © WCS Canada, Hilary Cooke © WCS Canada 
Thumbnails | Boreal: Biz Agnew © WCS Canada, Ontario: Constance O'Connor © WCS Canada, Mountains: Hilary Cooke © WCS Canada, Arctic: WCS Canada ©