“A Gift to the World:” Insights on Indigenous-led Conservation
By Valérie Courtois
Lands managed by Indigenous Peoples hold 80 per cent of the world’s remaining biodiversity. This vitality exists because the lands are loved and cared for by Indigenous Peoples. Our identity and our very survival depend on the health of our lands and waters and the species that inhabit them. My own Innu people have depended on caribou for our survival in some of the most rugged landscapes for thousands of years. Our Elders say “Innu and caribou are one. If the caribou disappear, so will we.”
At a recent event hosted by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, the Right Honourable Paul Martin emphasized the role Indigenous knowledge systems play in maintaining the health of our country and our planet. He singled out the work of Indigenous Guardians in helping combat these interrelated crises.
“The Guardians are an embodiment of the insight we should listen to,” said Mr. Martin. “Guardians are restoring salmon, caribou, red cedar, migratory bird habitats across the country. They are ensuring—in so doing—that my grandchildren and yours will live in a world rich with wild animals, birds, and fish.”
The event, Shared Values: Conservation, Nationhood and International Leadership, was a public panel with Mr. Martin, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, and Ambassador Bob Rae. It also featured video remarks from National Chief Perry Bellegarde. I had the privilege of moderating the event, and since the panelists have worked together for decades, it felt like I was watching long-time friends talk, tease, and explore issues that matters to all of us.
Throughout the conversation, panelists spoke about Indigenous-led conservation as a “Gift to Canada.” This stewardship, they agreed, will help build a more sustainable future for all people in this country.
Leadership on Climate Solutions and Biodiversity
Each of the speakers addressed the threats of climate change and loss of biodiversity. “We’ve been living very much out of balance with nature,” said Ambassador Rae. But a shift is underway, he noted, thanks in part to Indigenous values, guardianship, self-governance, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “It’s a very exciting time. We are coming out of a long dark period, but we care coming into one of tremendous change and tremendous potential.”
Indigenous knowledge systems offer different ways of relating to the land—ways that help restore balance and solve environmental challenges.
“Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Guardians programs are the single most important strategy to address climate change and biodiversity loss,” said Ms. Blondin-Andrew. She lives in Norman Wells, NWT, part of the Boreal Forest that spans the country. The boreal soils and peatlands store vast amounts of carbon, equivalent of up to 36 years of global greenhouse gas emissions. Several Indigenous Nations have proposed conserving large areas within the boreal, ensuring the carbon stays safely stored.
Canada has set out to be a global leader on climate action and biodiversity. Supporting solutions like Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas will ensure it lives up to those promises. “Canada is home to 85 per cent of the North American Boreal Forest,” said Ms. Blondin-Andrew. “We have a tremendous responsibility to make sure if we have these aspirations, that we keep our business at home clean and straight, that we do the right thing.”
Conservation, Equity, and Prosperity
During the conversation, we explored the need to balance nature conservation with greater equity and sustainable development. “We cannot afford as a nation to walk away from the beauty and value of the land,” said Mr. Martin. “On the other hand, we cannot walk away from the fact that the fastest growing part of our population—young Indigenous men and women—are going to need jobs. We can’t just discuss that there are two polar differences. We’ve got to discuss that there has to be a way of bringing them together.”
The Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation led the creation of Thaidene Nëné—one of the biggest protected areas in the country—and members of the Ni Hat’ni Dene Guardians program help manage it. Photo: Pat Kane.
Guardians play a critical role in that process. Over 70 Indigenous Guardians programs provide good-paying jobs and professional training to Indigenous Peoples across the country. Guardians programs have been proven to deliver $3 in economic, social, and cultural benefits for every $1 invested. They also help create the context for Indigenous Nations to evaluate potential industrial projects. Mr. Martin talked about how Guardians help with land use planning, which identifies areas for both conservation and possible development. In complex negotiations over a project, he has seen the presence of Guardians defuse tensions on both sides.
“You have to take into account the cost of development 10 years down the road. You need the complete economic assessment—not just the costs today but the costs tomorrow. That doesn’t mean you won’t do [the development], but you may change the way you do it.”
Nationhood and a Brighter Future for All
Finding the balance—one that sustains lands and waters into the future—will require greater investment. “We are going to have to pay for conservation,” said Ambassador Rae. “One of the principles we have to understand is there is an actual benefit to the whole of our society, the whole of our economy, from acts of conservation as well as acts of development.”
Conservation requires investment, in part, because it must be sustained through ongoing stewardship. “Sometimes we think of conservation areas as elite places you leave alone,” said Ambassador Rae. “That’s not true, you have to take care of them if you want to do it right.” Ambassador Rae underscored the role of sovereignty in creating long-term sustainability. “For me, the link to self-governance is the key,” he said. “Guardianship is a critical aspect and extension of sovereignty.”
National Chief Bellegarde also underscored the link between Indigenous-led conservation, Nationhood, and good outcomes for all Canadians. “Our AFN is advocating for the ongoing recognition and support of Indigenous-led conservation efforts, including the establishment of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Indigenous Guardians as critical mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples to exercise traditional responsibilities, methods of governance, authority and on the land management and stewardship practices,” he said in his recorded remarks. “Indigenous Guardians empower Indigenous Peoples to do what we have always done: protect Mother Earth for the next seven generations.”
The theme of future generations ran through much of our conversation. All the panelists are grandparents, and they want to ensure their grandchildren—and all our children and grandchildren—inherit a healthy planet. “I want to give my grandchildren the gifts my grandparents gave me: the gift of the land, the animals, and the love of their people,” said Ms. Blondin-Andrew.
“I am so grateful to the Indigenous leaders who have come forward to share their knowledge with us,” said Mr. Martin. “They perform a great service to this country and to all the generations that come.”
Thank you to Mr. Martin, Ms. Blondin-Andrew, Ambassador Rae, and National Chief Bellegarde for participating in this event and for sharing their vision for how we can create that brighter future.
