Polar Bear Wildlife Key Areas in Yukon

250,000 Wildlife Key Areas (WKAs) identify locations critical for polar bear seasonal life functions. The Government of Yukon maintains this spatial inventory, which was last updated in March 2026. Polygons are derived from local interviews and GIS interpretation of wildlife surveys.

Use Cases

• Map 250,000 WKA polygons to analyze spatial distribution of critical polar bear habitats.
• Use polygon boundaries derived from local interviews to validate or supplement remote habitat sensing studies.
• Integrate WKA polygons with other environmental layers for cumulative impact assessments on seasonal wildlife functions.

Strengths

• Contains 250,000 distinct spatial polygons identifying critical wildlife areas.
• Data is maintained by the authoritative Government of Yukon and sourced from GeoYukon.
• Methodology combines GIS interpretation with local interview knowledge for polygon derivation.

Limitations

• Updates occur only periodically, so boundaries may not reflect the most current wildlife observations.
• WKAs are based on observed locations, not intensive habitat assessment, potentially missing other important sites.
• The dataset scope is limited to areas defined by the WKA Inventory Program, excluding other important wildlife sites.

Provenance

Source

Government of Yukon, distributed via GeoYukon.

Collection Method

Polygons derived from interviews with locals and GIS interpretation of wildlife/habitat surveys.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Yukon, Canada.