Edéhzhíe Dehcho Protected Area & National Wildlife Area
Edéhzhíe stretches across over 14,240 square kilometres of boreal forest, headwater lakes and wetlands west of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Elders call it the breadbasket of the Dehcho First Nations, because the caribou, moose, fish and waterfowl have sustained people for millennia.
The Dehcho worked for many years to conserve Edéhzhíe and the community’s way of life on the land. In 2018, they led the creation of the joint Edéhzhíe Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area.
“It’s an empowering story, and it’s not just empowering for First Nations Peoples. It’s empowering for everyone,” said Dahti Tsetso who directs the Dehcho K’éhodi Indigenous Guardians program.
