America's Western Arctic | 2024 Regulations for Protection

WESTERN ARCTIC REGULATIONS

President Biden announced new protections for the biodiverse habitat of the NPR-A

HISTORIC PROTECTIONS IN AMERICA'S WESTERN ARCTIC

In April 2024, President Biden announced new, historic protections for +13 million acres of America's Western Arctic, taking another significant leap forward on climate and conservation and the protection of sacred land.

As the rule comes into effect, it will help protect some of the most biodiverse and climate-critical landscapes in the Western Arctic by strengthening protections on more than 13 million acres of federally designated Special Areas. These regulations will also provide a new process for proposing new or expanded Special Areas - allowing Tribes, local governments, and the public to weigh in on other vital areas in the Western Arctic that warrant Special Area designation.

“President Biden’s historic safeguards help protect biologically critical Special Areas and preserve important breeding and denning grounds for wildlife like polar bears, beluga whales, walruses, caribou, and globally migrating bird species. ”

SAFEGUARDING AMERICA'S NATURAL HERITAGE

The regulations announced by President Biden's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior for America's Western Arctic represent a critical step toward out climate commitments by limiting new oil and gas development.

The regulations will help protect the wildlife and lands that regional Indigenous communities have depended on for generations for subsistence hunting and gathering, as well as for traditional cultural practices.

KEEPING ARCTIC SPECIAL AREAS SPECIAL

The federally designated Special Areas of America’s Western Arctic represent areas of unique biological and cultural value, including Arctic wetlands that act as carbon-sinks and provide habitat for global populations of migratory birds, denning habitat for polar bears, marine nurseries for beluga whales, and traditional hunting grounds of Indigenous communities.

These are landscapes that nurture America’s natural and cultural heritage, and President Biden’s regulations represent a historic step in recognizing the conservation value of the Western Arctic (NPR-A) and giving future administrations additional tools to protect it.

What happens in America’s Arctic impacts everyone on Earth. Our Arctic Special Areas are “special” not only for Americans, but for humanity.

History