Site C, growing oil sands mines, and climate change among major threats degrading on world-renowned Peace-Athabasca Delta

BACKGROUND:  

The Peace-Athabasca Delta is world-renowned as one of the largest freshwater inland deltas, providing habitat for a swath of wildlife, including millions of migratory birds. The delta is largely encompassed by Wood Buffalo National Park, which due to its global significance, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Deteriorating conditions of the Peace-Athabasca delta has led to investigations by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee into its ecosystem health and threats facing the park.  

In August 2022, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and UNESCO World Heritage committee carried out a “Reactive Monitoring Mission” (a formal term for investigation into the ecological condition of Wood Buffalo National Park). The World Heritage committee requested this investigation to further look into the deteriorating ecological integrity of Wood Buffalo National Park, following an initial report and recommendations completed in 2016. 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  

The Reactive Monitoring Mission (2022) put forward 17 recommendations, listed below. 

Recommendation 1 

Strengthen efforts to transition to a genuine partnership with indigenous rightsholders in the governance and management of the property, in particular by: 

• Supporting the Indigenous Caucus in developing an indigenous led vision for a shared governance model for WBNP, based on the values of respect and equity, which focuses on commonalities and respects differences by including both park-wide and locally tailored components; 
• operationalizing the Cooperative Management Committee by jointly developing the Terms of Reference agreed by all indigenous rightsholders and PCA and ensure that effective decision-making mechanisms are in place; 
• supporting indigenous communities’ initiatives of interpreting and valorising the values of WBNP reflecting holistic indigenous worldviews and cultural elements of indigenous ways of life.  

Recommendation 2 

Complete hydrologic modelling and ELOHA (environmental flows assessment) tools that are essential to understanding the current hydrology (i.e., existing condition) of the Peace River and the PAD, the natural, pre-Bennett Dam baseline condition, the impact of climate change, and the feasibility of benefits to be derived from proposed water control structures and strategic flow releases on the OUV of the property. 

Recommendation 3 

Construct and repair water control structures in the PAD (such as the planned weir at Dog Camp) only after modelling and environmental flows tools have been completed, allowing an understanding of the benefits to the PAD, potential interactive effects and downstream impacts. 

Recommendation 4 

Ensure that no further dam projects on the Peace River are approved, including the proposed Amisk Project, until sufficient tools are in place to evaluate impacts on the hydrology of the PAD. 

Recommendation 5 

Urgently establish an interjurisdictional mechanism for effective water governance to allow for the critical decision-making needed for key corrective actions in terms of ecological flow releases and potentially water control structure to protect the OUV of the property.  

Recommendation 6 

Before 2026, decide on a set of concrete mitigation measures including ecological flow releases and the construction of required water control structures to correct the impacts of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and other alterations of the hydrology of the PAD, including increased impacts from climate change, and agree on operational strategies and interjurisdictional protocols for the implementation of the adopted mitigation measures as well as a budget sufficient for their implementation. 

Recommendation 7 

Urgently and before the end of 2023, conduct an independent systematic risk assessment of the tailings ponds of the Alberta Oil Sands region with a focus on risks to the PAD, and submit the report of this assessment to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. 

Recommendation 8 

Re-evaluate and adapt (as needed) collaborative, systematic, science-based monitoring of oil sands impacts on the Athabasca River and PAD to ensure sufficient parameters, sampling design, and protocols are employed to detect impacts. Long-term monitoring and syntheses of long-term data will be essential to establishing baselines, detecting changes, and communicating impacts. 

Recommendation 9 

Before 2026, develop a clear, consensus-based strategy consistent with precautionary principles for the reclamation of tailing ponds, including the treatment and disposal of OSPW, which guarantees protection of the Athabasca River’s and PAD’s water quality and avoids any impacts on the OUV of the property. 

Recommendation 10 

Ensure that all major development projects in the headwaters of the PAD, including all oil sands mining extension projects, are designated for federal impact assessments and specifically address potential impacts on the OUV of the property, in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and submit these Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) to the World Heritage Centre.  

Recommendation 11 

Ensure that all impact assessments of other projects in the larger landscape around the property not undergoing federal impact assessment and under the responsibility of the Government of Alberta fully consider the OUV of the property and the concerns of indigenous rightsholders beyond the direct footprint of the project. 

Recommendation 12 

Expedite the preparation of a land use plan for the Lower Peace, building on lessons learned from the LARP and use the ongoing review process to address the deficiencies in the LARP identified by the 2015 Review Panel, taking into account the increased understanding on cumulative impacts as documented in the SEA, including from climate change. The revised LARP should include indicators and thresholds to support decision-making and approvals and require a biocultural approach to ensure that cumulative effects management fully considers the OUV of the property and in particular impacts of the desired outcomes identified in the SEA for the PAD. 

Recommendation 13 

Ensure that the innovative Integrated Research and Monitoring Programme developed under the Action Plan, which is integrating indigenous knowledge with Western science, is standardized and sustained over time in order to understand trends and dynamics in response to various pulse (e.g., ice-jam flooding) and press (e.g., climate change) disturbances that affect the OUV of the PAD and across WBNP. 

Recommendation 14 

Further strengthen the monitoring of flagship species, in particular by: 

• establishing a programme for enhanced monitoring of Whooping Cranes that have come into contact with OSPW to clarify the potential impacts on the population; 

• continuing to improve methods for generating more frequent population estimates of Wood Bison in WBNP and in the disease-free, genetically-distinct Ronald Lake Bison Herd; 

• continuing research to develop disease assays and vaccination as needed to reduce risk of spread to the disease-free Ronald Lake Bison herd.  

Recommendation 15 

Continue efforts to create a buffer zone around the property, as recommended by the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, in particular by: 

• Further extending Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park by including the missing blocks around the Athabasca River as well as the area in the south still covered by a forest concession license; 

• putting in place urgently a co-management system for all newly created Wildland Provincial Parks in cooperation with the indigenous rightsholders, with appropriate resourcing and with clear management objectives which take into account the protection of the OUV; 

• further extending in particular in the Lower Peace region, including by considering options for forest leases situated between the Birch River Wildland Provincial Park and the Caribou Mountains Wildland Provincial Park; 

• formally designating a buffer zone according to paragraphs 103–107 of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. 

Recommendation 16 

Revise the 10-year Management Plan based on an agreed indigenous-led vision for a shared governance model for WBNP and integrating strategies to address the key conservation concerns for the property as resulting from the SEA and the Action Plan. 

Recommendation 17 

Further streamline the implementation of the Action Plan by: 

• organize a bi-annual review of the overall implementation of the Action Plan, involving senior management officials from the Governments of Canada, Alberta, British Columbia and Northwest Territories as well as representatives of indigenous rightsholders and civil society to assess if the planned actions are yielding the required impact and allow for adaptive management;
• before the end of 2023, update the Action Plan to consider the recommendations of the current Reactive Monitoring mission;
• develop for each theme of the Action Plan clear impact indicators to complement the colour coded tracking mechanism currently in place;
• ensure long-term and multiannual support and funding for capacity building for indigenous rightsholders to allow for effective, informed and full participation in the various Action Plan Task teams and working groups and the meaningful inclusion of indigenous knowledge in its implementation;
• develop a clear multi-year budget estimate for the full implementation of the Action Plan, specifying the required budget allocations from both federal and provincial levels and ensure that the budget allocations are foreseen for full implementation of the Action Plan also beyond 2026.