Land Use Planning

Land use planning attempts to integrate social, cultural, economic and environmental values and set the context for subsequent decisions on rights issuance, project review, and regulation. In particular, land use plans may identify thresholds or carrying capacities to guide decision making.

The Steering Committee notes that land use plans have not been developed or approved for many parts of the NWT. Delays in approving the Gwich'in Land Use Plan and advancing further with the Protected Areas Strategy show the difficulty of developing and implementing acceptable land use plans, even when planning processes are in place. The Dogrib land use planning process will apply only to Dogrib-owned lands and not to the entire settlement area although the Dogrib Agreement -in-Principle does provide for a coordinated land use planning process by all parties for the settlement area by agreement . Planning initiatives in adjacent jurisdictions should be noted as well. In all regions of the NWT except the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) and the Gwich'in and Sahtu Settlement Areas, land use planning processes are non-existent, incomplete, or have yet to be effectively implemented. The Steering Committee has identified the absence of land use plans as a significant gap in the CEAM Framework at the present time. The NWT Protected Areas Strategy and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' Marine Protected Areas Strategy are also part of the broader land-use planning picture in the NWT.

For additional information please visit the following sites:

     Gwich'in Land Use Planning Board

     Sahtu Land Use Planning Board

     Deh Cho Land Use Planning Committee

For related acitivites see also the Protected Areas Strategy website.

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