On 9 July, the time has finally come – we’re setting off on a nature conservation expedition in Canada’s Western Arctic! As always, we’ll be sharing the experiences and impressions from our adventure here with those of you who’ve stayed at home.
A team from Germany will be paddling down the Snake River for three weeks alongside young people and elders from the Gwich’in First Nation. This white-water river runs right through the Peel Watershed, a unique mountain wilderness – the north-eastern foothills of the Rockies – the size of Austria.
This area is the largest remaining intact mountain wilderness on Earth and is under acute threat from 14,000 registered claims by the oil and mining industries. The decision on whether to protect this natural gem or to develop it for mining is currently before the Supreme Court of Canada – an unprecedented case in the field of nature conservation.
This project brings full circle our long-standing commitment to the Gwich’in in the Arctic, which began in 2007 with an initial exchange programme and letters to the Government of the Yukon Territory. Following in the footsteps of the millennia-old Arctic nomadic culture, we are exploring the traditional homeland of the Gwich’in. In doing so, we are producing high-quality drone footage and other media content to share the beauty and inestimable value of unspoilt wilderness with others. We will advocate for the sustainable, community-based benefits of ecotourism. For the protection of the spectacular Peel Watershed wilderness!
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated to our crowdfunding campaign or supported the project in other ways! You can follow our two-year journey leading up to the expedition through Jette’s blog posts from the Arctic winter: 5 Months in the Arctic
Further information and fascinating background stories: www.gofundme.com/youthprotectpeel https://www.wilderness-international.org/projekt-westarktis
Our partners at CPAWS Yukon have created a fantastic online presence for the project. Protect Peel