Home Our Shared Environment Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (ANWR) Backgrounder

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (ANWR) Backgrounder

The 1980 Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), called for the conservation of fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity and created amongst other things one of the largest wildlife refuges in the United States, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge). ANWR's 19 million acres are located in northeastern Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle and 1,300 miles south of the North Pole.

Of particular concern to Canada is the 130,000-strong Porcupine Caribou Herd, which migrates almost 400 miles each year from the Yukon to the coastal plain to calve and graze on the rich vegetation in preparation for winter. In fact, this narrow coastal plain is the principal calving area for the Caribou herd, with an average of 40,000 calves born there annually.

Also under threat is the livelihood of the Gwich'in people in Alaska and Canada, who have relied on the Porcupine caribou herd for some 12,000 years. Their traditional way of life is dependent upon the health of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. They hold the calving grounds to be sacred and are united in their desire to protect these sensitive areas. The protection of the Porcupine Caribou Herd and the possible effects on the Gwich'in people resulting from a deterioration of the herds number constitute both environmental and socio-economic concerns to Canada. Because the herd's migration route extends across the Canada/ U.S. border, this concern also extends beyond the border to the calving grounds in Alaska.