The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) has been selected as a finalist for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, following a 33‑year campaign that protected 59 million acres and installed 204 wildlife crossings along a 2,100‑mile corridor from Wyoming to Canada’s Yukon.
Launched by Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize gives £1 million to projects that restore nature; Y2Y falls under the Protect and Restore Nature category.
Highway crossings have cut vehicle‑wildlife collisions by 96 % in Banff National Park, while the distance between isolated grizzly bear groups in the U.S. has shrunk from 240 km to 75 km.
Indigenous communities manage roughly a quarter of the corridor’s land, driving recovery of species such as the Klinse‑Za caribou, whose numbers rose from 38 in 2013 to 187.
"Being selected as an Earthshot Prize finalist gives this extraordinary region a chance to be recognised around the world," said Y2Y President Dr Jodi Hilty. "Yellowstone to Yukon is not only a story about wilderness; it is a story about the people who live here and the choices they are making to protect a shared home."
Y2Y aims to add another 50 million acres and 50 crossings by 2030, and the final awards will be presented in Mumbai on November 15.