Feasibility assessment of Seal River Watershed to be informed by Traditional and scientific Knowledge.
December 14, 2022 Montréal, Québec Parks Canada
Canada includes some of the planet's most significant, fully intact natural spaces. Protecting these areas plays a vital role in conserving natural and cultural heritage and in fighting climate change and biodiversity loss.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Jeff Wharton, Manitoba Minister of Environment, Climate and Parks, and Stephanie Thorassie, Executive Director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance, announced a commitment to work together on a feasibility assessment for an Indigenous protected area in the Seal River Watershed.
The Seal River Watershed includes portions of the ancestral territory of four First Nations-the Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Denesuline First Nation, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. Together, these First Nations have created the Seal River Watershed Alliance to work on their behalves to support a shared vision of protecting the nations' respective ancestral lands.
Located in northern Manitoba, the Seal River Watershed is one of the richest carbon sinks in the world, and one of the world's largest remaining ecologically intact watersheds, spanning over 50,000 square kilometres. The Seal River flows freely into Hudson Bay, unhindered by dams or industrial development. Protecting the watershed would add .5% of protected area on Canada's path to protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030.
Within the Seal River region, there are at least 22 known species at risk - including wolverines, polar bears, grizzly bears, barren-ground caribou, orcas, and olive-sided flycatchers. Large numbers of harbour seals can be found 200 km inland from the mouth of the Seal, giving the river its name.
In addition to conserving biodiversity, protecting this ecosystem is a model of collaboration with Indigenous partners. It would contribute to the vitality of the cultures and traditions and the well-being of the Indigenous peoples who have been stewards of this region since time immemorial. The First Nations of the Seal River Watershed Alliance have extensive knowledge of the lands and waters in this area and are sustained, to this day, by its wildlife. Traditional Knowledge, coupled with science, will be used as the foundation for the feasibility assessment of the Indigenous protected area.
Today's announcement took place during the UN biodiversity conference in Montreal, COP15. It underlines the Government of Canada's and the Manitoba government's commitment to reconciliation through a renewed nation-to-nation and government-to-government relationship with Indigenous peoples. The Government of Canada is committed to working in collaboration with Indigenous partners, the provinces and territories, stakeholders, and other levels of government to reach its goals of creating 10 new national parks and conserving 25 % of lands and waters by 2025, and 30 % of each by 2030.
The Manitoba government is excited to partner with the Government of Canada and Seal River Watershed Alliance to preserve and protect the biodiversity and culture of this unique area and further understand its economic potential.
