Backgrounder - Protecting Canada’s Ecological Treasures:  Nahanni National Park Reserve Expansion

Canada’s New Government recognizes that a key aspect of the North’s future is the protection of the region’s ecologically diverse and significant natural areas. Expanding the borders of Nahanni National Park Reserve means the protection of more of this region’s natural wonders.

Currently, Nahanni National Park Reserve protects Virginia Falls, a portion of the South Nahanni River and surrounding land.  It covers an area of 4,766 km2.  The Park is located in the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories in the region known as Dehcho, which is part of the traditional lands of the Dehcho Dene people.

The area was officially designated a national park reserve under the National Parks Act in 1976.  In 1978, the park reserve was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and in 1987, the section of the South Nahanni River within the park reserve was designated a Canadian Heritage River.

Parks Canada has been working with the Dehcho First Nations to significantly expand Nahanni National Park Reserve.  Under the terms of a 2003 Memorandum of Agreement between the two parties, interim protection was provided for an area covering more than 23,000 km2 through a “land withdrawal” which restricted the establishment of any new third party rights (e.g., mineral claims and leases). 

The Order in Council approved by the Federal Cabinet last week allows for a new land withdrawal covering approximately 5,400 km2.  It also assures that the entire area (approximately 28,800 km2) is now set aside for the explicit purpose of being included in the boundaries of Nahanni National Park Reserve.  The land withdrawals do not affect aboriginal rights or activities.

The new land withdrawal protects this area from any kind of further development until the completion of a feasibility study, which will include public consultations on boundary options, is completed.  Parks Canada will be undertaking the public consultations in the fall of 2007.  The feasibility study will also take into account the results of a mineral and energy resource assessment, which is being prepared with input from biologists, economists and statisticians of the Government of the Northwest Territories and is nearing completion. 

An estimated 660 grizzly bears live in the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem, about 550 of them in the newly protected area. Three herds of woodland caribou live in Nahanni. The range of one of these, the Upper Nahanni Herd, is almost entirely within the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem.

The karst (limestone) landscape in the new area is of international geological significance. Its features include caves, sinkholes and canyons.

The area newly set aside for park expansion includes sulphur hot springs and the highest mountains and largest ice fields in the Northwest Territories. Canadian and international eco-tourists will have the opportunity to see the spectacular landscapes and to hike, canoe, and climb in these new park areas.

Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada currently contributes approximately $640,000 to the local economy in wages and benefits for 15 full-time and seasonal staff, approximately half of whom are members of the Dehcho First Nations.

The park’s maintenance and operations budget contribute an additional $1.5 million to the local economy. As well, the 800 to 1,000 visitors to the park every year contribute an estimated $630,000 annually to the region, resulting in an average overall contribution of nearly $2.8 million per year to the local and NWT economies over the past five years.