IUCN votes in favor of protecting Bristol Bay

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This week, as the the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress got underway, the congressional body voted in favor of protecting Bristol Bay from Pebble and other large-scale mines. The motion was ultimately passed with the support of governments, NGOs, academics, indigenous people and other experts.

The motion provides crucial support for protection of the irreplaceable salmon region in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Bristol Bay watershed and all the life it supports has sustained indigenous people in the area for thousands of years, and is home to a large, yearly sockeye salmon run.

See the full press release about this announcement here, or in full text below:

World Conservation Congress votes in favor of Bristol Bay protections
Global congress of, governments, Go’s, academics, indigenous people and experts pass motion supporting protection of the irreplaceable salmon region in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Dillingham, AK – Today, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Congress voted in favor of protecting Bristol Bay from Pebble and other large-scale mines. Every four years, the Global Congress is convened by the IUCN, a group of government and civilian organizations from 89 countries, over 1000 NGO’s from around the globe, 126 governmental agencies, totaling over 1,300 total members and 16,000 global experts to meet and work toward solving complex threats to the planet.

Robert Heyano of United Tribes of Bristol Bay stated the following:

“We are honored and grateful the international community agrees that Bristol Bay is worth protecting from large-scale mining. Our watershed and all the life it supports has sustained our indigenous people and our sacred way of life for thousands of years. We are thankful to be home to the last great sockeye salmon run on the planet and as the original stewards of Bristol Bay we continue our fight to protect our lands and waters for not only our future generations, but also for the world-as half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon come from Bristol Bay. The global congress voting in support of protecting our region is another important voice in the diverse coalition that recognizes and supports protection of our salmon-runs as a global resource.”
                                                                   
The Bristol Bay motion passed by IUCN can be found at:    https://portals.iucn.org/congress/motion/057

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The United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB) is a tribal consortium representing 14 tribes working to protect the Yup’ik, Denai’na, and Alutiq way of life in Bristol Bay.