Our Priorities
Yukon South Beringia encompasses small isolated lowland grasslands, salt flats, wetlands, forests, alpine, dune ecosystems, and riparian systems found south of the glacial limit, which now contain remnant populations of endemic Beringian species.
A total of 11 Bio-Cultural Values (i.e. Conservation Targets) have been identified for the region:
Alpine (Wet and Dry)
Ancestral Stewardship Responsibility
Beringian Steppe: Bluffs and Dry Meadows
Cultural Sites
Dunes
Forests
Riparian Systems
Sustainable Economy
Wetlands
Wide-Ranging Mammals
Of these, the following 3 have been chosen as our Key Priorities to focus current efforts.
Riparian Systems
Riparian systems make up a crucial transitional zone between water and land which connect multiple biomes and ecosystems to support thriving plant and aquatic/terrestrial animal communities. These zones play an important role in maintaining water quality, regulating microclimates, supporting diverse food webs, and stabilizing landscapes. However, they are among the most vulnerable on Earth due to their location within the landscape and the popularity for human activity.
Beringian steppe, bluffs and dry meadows
The Beringian Steppe is a semi-arid ecoregion that includes bluffs and dry meadows. It is characterized by grassland plains (other than those occurring near rivers and lakes) and a dry and temperate climate, which supports short grasses and/or shrubs but no trees. The Beringian steppe would have supported a productive ecosystem of ice-age animals and plants, unlike the Arctic Tundra of today, where few mammals can survive.
ANCESTRAL stewardship Responsibility
Species have intrinsic value and therefore, the right to persist. Humans have a responsibility for the persistence of species as our actions have an impact on the ecosystems in which we co-exist. As original stewards of the land and waters, Indigenous Peoples of the Yukon hold a vital ancestral role in conservation and species protection, which is grounded in Indigenous laws and advanced practices and recognizes the interrelations between all living and non-living things.