A plan aiming to establish a vast 3,400-kilometre wildlife corridor connecting Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. to Canada’s Yukon has emerged as the first-ever Canadian contender for Prince William’s annual environmental awards. The initiative, known as the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y), has been selected as one of the finalists in the Protect & Restore Nature category of the 2026 Earthshot Prizes. The Earthshot Prize recognized Y2Y as an extensive conservation collaboration that seeks to re-establish a broad mountain landscape across Canada and the U.S., allowing wildlife to freely move as it once did for centuries.
The corridor hosts a variety of large mammals including wolves, grizzly bears, wolverines, and endangered mountain caribou and currently encompasses 25 million hectares of protected land, slightly larger than the United Kingdom. Y2Y was initiated in 1993 as a joint effort between a U.S. non-profit organization and a Canadian charity, with the Canadian group being named as the Earth Prize finalist.
Inspired by a wolf named Pluie, fitted with a satellite tracking collar near Banff National Park in 1991, the project aims to address the need for conservation on a larger scale that aligns with the natural requirements of wildlife like Pluie. Over the past thirty years, Y2Y has progressed by expanding protected areas within the corridor from nine percent to nearly eighteen percent, collaborating with 800 partners including governments, Indigenous nations, private landowners, and scientists. Additionally, the initiative has facilitated the construction of over 200 wildlife road crossings and contributed to the recovery of the Klinse-Za caribou herd in British Columbia from the brink of extinction.
The Earthshot team’s recognition of Y2Y can raise awareness, attract more supporters to the cause, and facilitate connections with global resources and organizations addressing similar environmental challenges. Despite the substantial costs involved in conservation efforts, such as building wildlife crossings, the acknowledgment from Earthshot can provide valuable exposure and networking opportunities for Y2Y. The Earthshot Prize, established in 2021, focuses on five categories: Protect & Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix Our Climate, with the aim of promoting innovation to combat climate change and resolve environmental issues, set to continue until 2030.
