Northwest Territories

In the Northwest Territories, more than 12 million hectares (8.9% of the territories as of 2010) are designated as protected. Environment Canada maintains 5 protected areas in the Northwest Territories, all Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBSs), comprising more than 2 million hectares of the territories' protected lands and waters. Although currently there are no National Wildlife Areas (NWAs), a number of candidate sites are under evaluation.

Further information on candidate protected areas is available on the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy website.

Map of Environment Canada's Protected Areas in the Northwest Territories

List of Protected Areas in the Northwest Territories

The table below contains information about the MBSs shown on the map above. In addition to the name, year of establishment, and size of each protected area, the table indicates how these sites fit into national and international networks of conservation areas. The following entities may be noted:

Ramsar: Wetland of International Importance
IBA: Important Bird Area
WHSRN: Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
MAB: Biosphere reserve of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries

No.	Name	Year established	Size in hectares	Notes
1	Anderson River Delta MBS	1961	118,417	part of Anderson River Delta IBA
2	Banks Island No. 1 MBS	1961	2,019,997	part of Banks Island MBS IBA
3	Banks Island No. 2 MBS	1961	14,302	part of Thomsen River IBA
4	Cape Parry MBS	1961	227	part of Cape Parry IBA
5	Kendall Island MBS	1961	61,241	part of Mackenzie River Delta IBA
Total:			2,214,184

Access and Permitting

Although access to NWAs is not restricted, the primary purpose of these areas is to protect and conserve wildlife and their habitats, and therefore most NWAs are not equipped with facilities to accommodate public visitation. Unless otherwise posted, all recreational activities are prohibited within NWAs.

Although access to most MBSs is not restricted either, the primary intent of these sanctuaries is to protect migratory birds, and therefore hunting, as well as disturbing or molesting migratory birds, their eggs, nests or habitat, is prohibited.

A permit may be obtained from the Minister of Environment authorizing the conduct of certain activities in an NWA or MBS, if the Minister or delegate is of the opinion that the proposed activity:

• will not interfere with the conservation of wildlife; or
  
• is consistent with the purpose for which the protected area was established; and
  
• is consistent with the most recent management plan for the protected area.

Additional information on entry, prohibited activities and permits in Environment Canada's protected areas is provided in the Management and Activities web pages of the National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries. For more information on Environment Canada's protected areas in the Northwest Territories, please contact the regional Environment Canada office:  

Environment Canada - Prairie and Northern Region
Canadian Wildlife Service
Protected Areas & Stewardship
Western Arctic Unit
P.O. Box 2310
5019 52nd Street,4^th Floor
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2P7
Toll Free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)
Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca