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Thaidene Nene proposed protected area, NWT
Credit: Jason Charlwood

The announcement and signing of the long-awaited Northwest Territories Devolution Agreement in 2013 is a major ongoing story for the people of the Territory. The Agreement, which comes into full effect in April of 2014, represents a significant moment not only for the Northwest Territories, but for the future of a major part of Canada's boreal.

Governance in the Northwest Territories is a unique blend of public, Aboriginal governments, and institutions where cooperative planning and joint decision-making is required. Through land-use plans and careful screening processes, it is possible to avoid or de-escalate conflicts that would otherwise result in paralysis elsewhere. But there are also warning signs that the territorial-Aboriginal partnership forged over previous decades may be fractured by the federal government's insistence on the dissolution of regional land and water boards—originally set up under land claims agreements—to be eventually replaced by a federally controlled "super board."

Positive progress is being made on the conservation front, with promising commitments to move forward with the establishment of Edehzhie (Horn Plateau) as a National Wildlife Area, Thaidene Nene as a new National Park, and the continued protection of key candidate areas in both the Dehcho and Sahtu regions.

These are truly exciting times as the Northwest Territories is now in a unique position to show Canada and the world how protection of the boreal and responsible development of resources can go hand-in-hand. The world will surely be watching in 2014.

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