MEMO: New science report on the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

Providing a valuable resource for journalists, government agencies and others, The Wilderness Society has released a new detailed science report providing technical information on the ecological and cultural importance of America’s largest tract of wild public land — the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska. 

Also known as the Western Arctic, it is one of the most intact landscapes remaining on the planet, supporting an unmatched diversity of wildlife — including three major caribou herds and more than 50 species of migratory fish, birds, and marine mammals. Iñupiat people living in the North Slope have relied on the resources of this region for millennia. And it may be one of North America’s critical climate refugia for wildlife in the future, yet it is under constant threat from oil and gas development. 

The release of this report – which includes the latest and best available science – could not be timelier. On March 20, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced immediate steps to open as much as 82 percent of this wild landscape to oil drilling. On April 9, President Trump directed agencies to repeal all regulations deemed to exceed their authority. Then, on April 14, the Department of the Interior sent to the White House a proposed rescission of the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska management rule, a rule intended to protect critical values in the Western Arctic. 

This is a concrete example of how President Trump’s broad attack on the environment is being realized on the ground, in this case by dismantling vital conservation protections for the Western Arctic. The goal is clear: continue the industrial sprawl of the massive Willow oil project across the reserve, no matter the cost. Our report helps highlight the vital importance of this rich ecosystem, the ways future development could cause harm, as well as management and conservation recommendations to mitigate human impacts.

The report includes contributions from a team including scientists, researchers and consultants from multiple organizations. Titled Assessment of Ecological and Cultural Values Within the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, it is a comprehensive look at sensitive species and habitats in the Western Arctic, Indigenous science and lifeways, and the landscape benefits of this land unit that is 10 times larger than Yellowstone National Park. 

Among some of the highlights in the report: 

People 

• The Iñupiat people of the Western Arctic have a rich cultural heritage and social institutions that have allowed them to thrive for thousands of years, and the reserve's diverse ecosystems provide essential resources, enabling the Iñupiat to live in harmony with the environment. 
• Climate change is significantly impacting the Arctic, and protecting the reserve is crucial for the health of the land, animals, and people. 
• Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into land-management practices is vital for respecting the traditional Iñupiat lifeways and ensuring a sustainable future. 

Caribou 

• Caribou are the most abundant large land mammal in the Arctic, but they have experienced sharp global declines across most of their range, raising concerns about their future. 
• They play key roles in the spiritual and cultural lives of Indigenous Arctic peoples and are vital for food security in local communities. 
• Caribou use the Western Arctic year-round, including for critical calving, post-calving, insect relief, as well as migratory and winter habitat. 
• Decades of study have revealed persistent effects of human activity and development on caribou that lead to avoidance of infrastructure with no clear evidence of habituation. 
• Climate change will likely compound the pressures on caribou and reinforce the importance of some Alaskan habitat as climate refugia. 

Fish 

• Whitefish species are an important subsistence and cultural resource for Arctic Iñupiat communities surrounding the NPR-A. 
• Critical habitats such as spawning and rearing areas are limited in the Arctic for certain important fish species such as Broad Whitefish. 
• Developing durable watershed protections that maintain a suite of Broad Whitefish spawning and rearing habitats is essential for the conservation of Arctic subsistence fish resources. 

Birds 

• The United States’ entire yellow-billed loon breeding population is found only in Alaska, primarily in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area and surrounding areas within the Western Arctic. 
• Reproductive success is limited to a tight window each year and can be disrupted by oil field infrastructure. 
• The NPR-A is of worldwide importance to breeding shorebirds with some of the highest densities and diversity of breeding shorebirds in the circumpolar Arctic. 

We hope this new report will prove useful to your reporting. Our staff experts are available to answer questions about the report and to comment on conservation needs in the Western Arctic as news developments warrant