A proposal to establish a vast 3,400-kilometre habitat corridor for wolves, elk, and other wildlife stretching from Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. to Canada’s Yukon has been named a finalist for Prince William’s annual environmental prizes. The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is the first Canadian finalist in the Protect & Restore Nature category of the 2026 Earthshot Prizes, which announced 15 finalists across five categories. The Earthshot Prize recognizes Y2Y as a monumental conservation collaboration reconnecting a massive mountain landscape in Canada and the U.S., allowing wildlife to move freely across the region.
The corridor supports various large mammals like wolves, grizzly bears, wolverines, and endangered mountain caribou and encompasses 25 million hectares of protected land, slightly larger than the United Kingdom. Y2Y, initiated in 1993 by a U.S. non-profit and a Canadian charity, has made significant progress over the years. 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 wildlife to move at the scale required by nature.
Recognizing the impacts of climate change on wildlife migration, Y2Y has collaborated with 800 partners, including governments, Indigenous nations, private landowners, and scientists, to expand protected areas and establish wildlife road crossings. The initiative has also played a crucial role in reviving the Klinse-Za caribou herd from near-extinction in British Columbia. The Earthshot Prize, awarded annually since 2021, seeks to spur innovation to combat climate change and environmental issues, with the 2026 winners set to receive £1 million ($1.9 million Cdn) each. The ceremony will take place in Mumbai in November.