The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative has spent 33 years protecting 59 million acres of land and supporting 204 wildlife crossings across North America. The non-profit project is one of 15 global finalists for the 2026 environmental award, according to The Associated Press. A conservation project connecting wild habitats from Wyoming to Canada’s Yukon has been named a finalist for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. The project brings together scientists, private landowners, local governments, and Indigenous communities across the Rocky Mountains. By building wildlife overpasses, underpasses, and safety fences along major highways, the initiative helps large animals move safely through their natural habitats without being hit by vehicles.
These findings led to the official creation of the Yellowstone to Yukon initiative in 1993. In northern British Columbia, an Indigenous-led project to protect the Klinse-Za caribou herd helped its population increase from 38 animals in 2013 to 187.
Dr Jodi Hilty, President and Chief Scientist of the initiative, said successful conservation requires long-term cooperation between communities. “Being selected as an Earthshot Prize Finalist gives this extraordinary region a chance to be recognised around the world,” Hilty said in a press release. “Yellowstone to Yukon is not only a story about wilderness; it is a story about the people who live here and the choices they are making to protect a shared home.”
The idea for the cross-border wildlife corridor began in the early 1990s after researchers tracked a radio-collared wolf named Pluie. Satellite data showed that the wolf travelled across three US states and two Canadian provinces. Her movements showed scientists that individual parks and nature reserves were not large enough to support animals such as wolves, grizzly bears, and caribou over the long term. Indigenous communities manage or share management of about one-quarter of the protected land within the corridor. These partnerships have helped several threatened species recover from very low numbers.