Joint proposed agreement release by four First Nations, Manitoba, and Canada On April 17, 2026, the Seal River Watershed Alliance, the Manitoba government, and the government of Canada released a joint proposal to designate one of our planet’s largest intact watersheds as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA). Audubon celebrates this historic milestone and congratulates the four First Nations who are leading this initiative—known as Seal River Watershed Alliance—on this important step towards permanently protecting 12 million-acres of biodiversity-rich habitat in northern Manitoba, Canada. “The Seal River Watershed is one of the largest ecologically intact watersheds in the world, sustaining extraordinary biodiversity and providing critical habitat for roughly 22 million birds,” said Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer at the National Audubon Society .…