The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun are expressing strongly-worded “disappointment and discouragement” with the Yukon government’s policy for managing wetlands.

They say the policy, released Jan. 10 after five years in the making, should be rescinded and revamped in discussions with First Nations communities.

They added it fails to address First Nations’ concerns, with the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun saying their concerns have been virtually “ignored.”

The traditional territories of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in the Dawson City region and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun in the Mayo area are home to some of the most vulnerable and rare wetland types in the Yukon, the First Nations said in a statement released Tuesday.

“Despite their rarity and significance, these sensitive habitats are under constant threat from destruction. In many areas, such as the Indian River Valley, important wetland classes are already at risk of extinction, having faced relentless and unfettered devastation from mining over the last several decades.

“Once peatlands like bogs and fens are destroyed, these important landscapes will not return.”

The government plans to create a new land designation for “wetlands of special importance,” but the policy states such activity as mineral staking, exploration and mining with these areas isn’t necessarily off-limits.

Wetlands perform many critical ecological functions, the First Nations pointed out.

They purify freshwater, store carbon, control flooding and provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife, fish, and plants.

Wetlands also support cultural uses and activities such as hunting, trapping and fishing.

The policy for the stewardship of wetlands acknowledges those important benefits, the First Nations said, “yet fails to expeditiously protect these important ecosystems.

“Yukon Government’s policy for the stewardship of wetlands has not applied a protection first approach to wetlands.

“Instead, while acknowledging that there exists a minimal understanding of benefits, location, type, and extent of wetlands across the Yukon, this policy allows for continued development of all wetland classes and offers minimal guidance as to when and how impacts can be avoided and/or mitigated.

“The protection mechanisms that are offered remain administratively burdensome, and the process lacks effective protective measures for wetlands of special importance.”

The impact of a changing climate on wetlands, and the significant role these ecosystems will play in humanity’s race against time to prevent or limit catastrophic harm from climate change, is of particular concern, the First Nations said.

Peatlands remain a major carbon storehouse, holding carbon that has accumulated over thousands of years, they pointed out.

“The destruction of carbon-rich peatlands, allowed under this policy, will release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, further undermining our collective ability to fight climate change.

“The cumulative loss of these important ecosystems, and the impacts this is having on our culture and our Final Agreement rights, cannot be overstated.

“The alteration and dramatic changes that occur to the landscape once wetlands have been mined alienates our citizens from our own land and interferes with our ability to exercise treaty rights for hunting, fishing, and enjoying other spiritual and cultural activities.”

Indigenous culture is passed down onto future generations through these activities, they pointed out, “and as we are further removed from the land, we are further removed from our culture.

“If we are unable to perform traditional activities that rely on the undisturbed, natural existence of wetlands, our culture and our identity may be lost forever. This is in breach of our treaty with the Crown.

“As such, we urge Yukon Government to reconsider their policy and to work with Yukon First Nations to jointly develop, and approve, a policy for wetlands that we can all support.”

The First Nations are urging the government “to respect and uphold our constitutionally protected Final Agreement rights, and to honour our deeply rooted and ancestral responsibility to protect these rare and critical ecosystems by enacting proactive, protective and effective measures now, not later.”

Chief Simon Mervyn of the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun called the wetlands policy “unacceptable, and our First Nation rejects it.

“The policy was developed unilaterally by public government. The deep concerns expressed by Na-Cho Nyäk Dun were almost entirely ignored.

“Our comments at the Yukon Water Board hearing fell on deaf ears,” Mervyn said.

“The rights to water enshrined in Chapter 14 of our modern treaty are being eroded. This continues a pattern of Yukon First Nations being treated – at best – as stakeholders on our own lands and in our own territories.

“This policy is inconsistent with a respectful, government-to-government relationship among the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, and the Governments of Canada and Yukon,” the chief added.

“We call on Yukon Government to rescind the policy and to return to the table with a commitment to truly co-developing a new wetlands policy that respects our treaty rights and protects the waters and wetlands of our territory for our future generations.”

Despite multiple years of engagement with the government on the policy’s objectives and direction of this policy, said Chief Roberta Joseph of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, “we have not been heard.

“We have always advocated for a protections-first approach, acknowledging the rarity and significance of these important ecosystems on the land.

“We have also always asked that our role as managers of resources within our traditional territory be emphasized through the co-development and joint approval of the policy,” Joseph added.

“We did not see this happen, and we now find ourselves with a final policy approved by Yukon Government alone that has not honoured the spirit and intent of our Final Agreement.”

Two cabinet ministers promoted the wetlands policy at a news conference held Jan. 10 in Whitehorse.

“The policy will protect sensitive wetlands while allowing for sustainable and responsible resource development,” Environment Minister Nils Clarke told reporters.

Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker said the government will conduct more research to help determine how the policy’s various components will be implemented in partnership with First Nations, other governments and industry.