The delta region is designated a wetland of international importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[4][5] The descendants of the Cree and Chipewyan First Nations continue to carry on traditional fishing, hunting and trapping activities.

Bennett Dam was constructed on the Peace River in northern British Columbia by BC Hydro, a major hydropower utility.

Bennett hydroelectric dam at the headwaters of the Peace River", the Peace–Athabasca delta experienced a "prolonged dry period" that turned some basins from aquatic into terrestrial ecosystems.

[7][8] In 1974, a major flood occurred in the region and, when the spring water receded, the delta experienced a second prolonged dry period.

In 1986, Ducks Unlimited (Canada) and Alberta Energy and Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Division proposed "the portion of the delta lying outside Wood Buffalo National Park, with the exception of the Chipewyan Indian Reserves, as a Wildlife Habitat Management Area.

[7][8] In the spring of 2006, BC Hydro dam managers released an agreed upon timed flow into the delta under appropriate hydrological and climatic conditions thereby increasing the magnitude of an ice-jam flood, producing the first major flood since c. 1986 and bringing restorative water to areas that had been dry since c.1986.

PADEMP chair, Stuart Macmillan representing Parks Canada, observed that, "I think everybody realizes if we don’t do this now, we’re in danger of losing something very special in the delta.

According to Chris Heron, the NWT Metis Nation representative of the PADEMP, the use of traditional knowledge to determine the ecological health of the Peace–Athabasca Delta and their findings will be investigated using western science.

[19] Species include ducks, geese, swans and the endangered whooping crane, which has its natural nesting place in the delta.

Bennett Dam was constructed on the Peace River in northern British Columbia by BC Hydro, a major hydropower utility.

[citation needed] An ongoing lawsuit between BC Hydro and local First Nations bands relates to the effects of Bennett Dam on delta water levels and associated traditional lifestyles.