The Ktunaxa Nation and TSX-listed Teck Resources have signed a joint management agreement for the conservation of more than 7 000 ha of land bought by Teck in 2013.
The lands are part of Teck’s steelmaking coal operations in south-east British Columbia.
Under the agreement, the Ktunaxa Nation and Teck agree to jointly manage the land for conservation purposes, protecting significant fish and wildlife habitat. The agreement will also support the Ktunaxa Nation Stewardship Principles, and Teck’s goal to achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity in the areas where it operates.
Teck and the Ktunaxa Nation worked closely with stakeholders to buy the land in 2013 in the Elk Valley and Flathead River Valley because of its exceptional social, cultural and ecological value.
“This agreement will support responsible joint management and protection of these important conservation lands,” says Teck president and CEO Don Lindsay, who adds that the agreement will “advance [the] mutual objective of conserving these culturally and ecologically significant lands for years to come, while also making progress towards Teck’s vision of a net-positive impact on biodiversity.”
Teck’s purchase of these lands was one of the single biggest private sector investments in land conservation in British Columbia’s history, where there are about 7 150 ha in total of private lands.
The lands provide important habitat for numerous species, such as grizzly bear, wolverine, badger, elk, lynx, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout, and hold significant value for local communities.
Teck and the Ktunaxa will begin implementation of the joint management agreement this month. Activities will include developing conservation management plans with input from communities and other stakeholders.