A groundbreaking initiative aiming to establish a 3,400-kilometre habitat corridor connecting Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. to Canada’s Yukon has made history by becoming the first Canadian finalist for Prince William’s prestigious environmental awards. The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) has been selected as one of the three finalists in the Protect & Restore Nature category of the 2026 Earthshot Prizes.
Y2Y, recognized by the Earthshot Prize as a monumental conservation collaboration, seeks to reestablish a vast mountain landscape spanning Canada and the U.S. to facilitate the free movement of wildlife, including wolves, grizzly bears, wolverines, and endangered mountain caribou. The corridor, which already encompasses 25 million hectares of protected land – an area slightly larger than the United Kingdom, serves as a crucial habitat for these large mammals.
Initiated in 1993 as a joint effort between a U.S. non-profit organization and a Canadian charity, Y2Y aims to address the insufficiency of protected areas in sustaining wildlife populations, emphasizing the necessity of considering the scale required by nature. Inspired by a wolf named Pluie, fitted with a satellite tracking collar near Banff National Park in 1991, the project underscores the importance of creating connected habitats to support animal migration, especially in the face of climate change and fragmented habitats.
Over the past three decades, Y2Y has made significant progress in expanding protected areas within the corridor, collaborating with various stakeholders, including governments, Indigenous nations, private landowners, and scientists. Noteworthy achievements include the establishment of wildlife road crossings and the successful conservation efforts to revive the Klinse-Za caribou herd from near-extinction in British Columbia.
Recognizing the financial challenges, with even a single wildlife crossing costing up to $20 million, Jodi Hilty, the president of Y2Y, emphasized the importance of the Earthshot Prize in raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and connecting with global initiatives addressing similar environmental challenges.
The Earthshot Prize, which has been awarded annually since 2021, aims to promote innovation in combating climate change and environmental issues, with a focus on Protect & Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World, and Fix Our Climate. The prestigious award is set to continue until 2030, driving efforts to address pressing environmental concerns worldwide.