July 10, 2024 Seal River Watershed Alliance: All you need to know by Youth Advisory Council (2023-2024 Cohort) Let’s talk about the Seal River Watershed. Covering 50,000 square kilometres in northern Manitoba, it’s nearly the size of Nova Scotia – one of the largest intact watersheds left on the planet. This biodiverse area is home to 25 known species at risk – including wolverines, grizzly bears, and killer whales – and at least 260 identified mammal, aquatic, bird, plant, and insect species. The watershed is also a critical habitat for culturally-significant barren ground caribou. Led by Sayisi Dene First Nation, four northern Manitoba First Nations are a part of the Seal River Watershed Alliance: Sayisi Dene, Northlands Denesuline, Barren Lands, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nations. Formed in 2019, the Alliance aims to permanently protect this vital ecosystem: “We envision a pristine watershed where people, animals and fish are healthy, our unique languages and cultures are thriving, and there is hope and abundance for all future generations.” They’re also working to establish an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area to protect the Seal River Watershed. In January 2024, a long-awaited memorandum of understanding was signed with the federal and provincial governments. This commits to a feasibility study and mineral exploration moratorium across 50,000 square kilometres of culturally and ecologically vital lands. How important are these lands? The Seal River Watershed provides crucial benefits like carbon storage, biodiversity, erosion control, water filtration, and flood management, while also supporting wildlife and recreation. A study from Ducks Unlimited Canada found the watershed acts as a significant carbon sink, storing 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon in the soil. To learn more about the watershed, and to sign in support of the establishment of an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, click here. Explore Related Content Youth Advisory Council Discover the importance of Eeyou Istchee Protected Area July 10, 2024 Read more Youth Advisory Council Indigenous Land Guardians: Caring for land, water, wildlife, and culture July 10, 2024 Read more Youth Advisory Council Legal Frameworks for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas July 10, 2024 Read more
