TERRACE, B.C. – June 3, 2025 – A vast area of northwest British Columbia, spanning 16 million hectares near the Alaska and Yukon borders, will be the focus of a new, large-scale land-use planning initiative. The B.C. government announced today it is partnering with five First Nations – the Tahltan, Taku River Tlingit, Kaska Dena, Gitanyow, and Nisga’a Nations – to collaboratively map out the future of the region, balancing biodiversity conservation with natural resource development.
The plan aims to provide greater certainty for investors and First Nations, outlining opportunities to grow the resource industry, particularly critical minerals, while ensuring robust protection for the region’s unique cultural and environmental values.
“Partnerships like this will deliver the critical minerals the world needs while better protecting the air, land and waters that First Nations have stewarded since time immemorial,” said Jagrup Brar, Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals, in a June 3 news release.
Over the next year, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship will work with the partner Nations on what it describes as a “fast-tracked, inclusive land-use planning” process. This will involve identifying zones for conserving biodiversity – protecting species like wild salmon, caribou, and sheep – and clearly outlining areas suitable for resource development with strong sustainability safeguards to support more efficient permitting.
To facilitate these joint planning efforts, no new mining claims can be registered in approximately one-third of the planned area for one year. However, existing mining projects and current claims can still proceed with permitting and exploration during this period.
Beverly Slater, President of the Tahltan Central Government, emphasized the importance of the collaboration. “Ensuring our culturally sensitive land is off limits to development, that our air, fish, land, water and wildlife will be protected, and establishing co-management protocols for responsible resource development within Tahltan territory is not only in the best interest of the Tahltan Nation, but also in the best interest of all British Columbians,” she stated.
The initiative aligns with Premier David Eby’s vision for building prosperity in northwestern B.C., centered on economic growth, reconciliation, and conservation, and prioritizes partnerships with First Nations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
“Safeguarding the heartlands of our territory in B.C. and building a thriving conservation economy will benefit future generations of Kaska and all people of the region,” said Chief Stephen Charlie of the Liard First Nation, representing one of the Kaska Dena communities involved.
The partners believe this land-use planning will create opportunities for billions in investment and support family-supporting jobs throughout the province. The engagement process with industry and other community partners is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
