Feds, N.W.T. to create Indigenous protected area for NWT’s Great Bear Lake

By The Canadian Press on December 17, 2022.

MONTREAL – The federal government, the Northwest Territories and the Délı̨nÄ™ Got’ı̨nÄ™ government are planning to create an Indigenous protected area around Great Bear Lake.

The three governments signed agreement today at the COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal.

It is a major development for the First Nation that has fought to have the lake declared an Indigenous protected and conserved area.

Great Bear Lake is the world’s eighth largest freshwater lake and is considered one of the most intact ecosystems in the world with cultural significance to the Dene people.

It was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2016, and is surrounded by boreal forest which provides an important habitat for muskox, caribou and moose.

Chief Danny Gaudet of the Délı̨nÄ™ Got’ı̨nÄ™ says it’s a historic day for community members who have spent generations protecting the area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2022.

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