Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Named Finalist for Earthshot Prize

According to Times of India World, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) has been named a finalist for Prince William’s 2026 Earthshot Prize, according to The Associated Press. The project, which was officially established in 1993, is competing in the 'Protect and Restore Nature' category for its work in linking habitats across a 2,100-mile stretch of the Rocky Mountains.

Over the past 33 years, the initiative has protected 59 million acres of land and facilitated 204 wildlife crossings, including overpasses and underpasses designed to help large mammals like grizzly bears, wolves, and caribou traverse major highways. According to project records, these crossings—often layered with native vegetation—have reduced collisions between motor vehicles and hoofed animals by 96 percent in areas such as Alberta's Banff National Park. Additionally, Y2Y efforts have decreased the distance between isolated grizzly bear populations in the United States from 240 kilometers to 75 kilometers.

The project’s origins date back to the early 1990s and a tracking study of a radio-collared wolf named Pluie. Satellite data revealing that the wolf moved across three U.S. states and two Canadian provinces demonstrated that individual parks and nature reserves were insufficient for sustaining large mammal populations. This finding underscored the need for a connected corridor across the landscape, which today spans 1.3 million square kilometers across five U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and two territories.

Indigenous leadership remains central to the initiative’s operations, with Indigenous communities managing or co-managing approximately one-quarter of the protected land. These partnerships have been credited with the recovery of threatened species; for instance, an Indigenous-led project in northern British Columbia boosted the Klinse-Za caribou herd from 38 animals in 2013 to 187.

Dr. Jodi Hilty, President and Chief Scientist of the initiative, noted that the recognition as an Earthshot Prize finalist provides global visibility to the region and the collaborative efforts of those living within it. Beyond habitat connectivity, the Y2Y landscape is significant for carbon storage, holding roughly 13 percent of the carbon sequestered by Canada and the United States combined, despite covering only about 7 percent of their total land area.

The Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William in 2020, awards £1 million to projects focused on repairing environmental damage. The 2026 winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Mumbai this November. Looking ahead, Y2Y has set goals to protect an additional 50 million acres and develop at least 50 more wildlife crossings by 2030.