On March 12 and 13, over 300 guardians, leaders and partners will gather in Vancouver to discuss the next steps in realizing that future. Hosted by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the First Nations Guardians Gathering 2019 will present recommendations for how to expand the network of guardians programs. This is an exciting time for the network to take shape.

The next generation of Indigenous land managers can count on strong support in Australia. The federal government has made long-term investments in Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous Rangers, and research confirms this funding benefits the land, the economy and the people. Now a delegation of Indigenous land managers from Warddeken and other regions are traveling to Canada to talk about the transformative power of well-supported Indigenous-led conservation.

A sweeping stretch of black spruce, headwater lakes and caribou grounds west of Yellowknife has gained new protections thanks to the leadership of the Dehcho First Nations. The Dehcho passed a Dene law to create the Edéhzhíe Protected Area in July. And this week, Dehcho leaders held a signing ceremony with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to designate it as a joint Dehcho Protected Area and National Wildlife Area.

Home to herds of woodland caribou, chains of crystal clear lakes and wetlands full of birds, it is called Pimachiowin Aki—the Land that Gives Life. The Anishinaabe people have always known it is a special place. Now, thanks to their tireless efforts, the world will know it too.UNESCO has designated Pimachiowin Aki a World Heritage Site in honour of its outstanding cultural and natural values.

Participants in the Northern Values have identified the importance of land use plans for achieving cooperation, clarity, respect and certainty across Manitoba’s boreal forest. The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) is one of the communities demonstrating what that looks like on the ground.

In about 30 First Nations across the country, Indigenous Guardians help care for the land and water. They act as the “eyes and ears” for their communities, paying attention to the health of animals, testing water quality, monitoring industrial development, and welcoming visitors to protected areas. “We are here protecting Mother Earth in order for the rest of the world to live on her,” says Gloria Enzoe of the Ni hat’ni Dene Guardians program of the Lutsel K’e First Nation in the Northwest Territories.

As Canada works to protect at least 17 percent of lands by 2020, it can look to Australia for a proven model of partnership with Indigenous Peoples. Australia has announced it will invest an added $250 million AUD to support Indigenous Rangers who help manage the country’s natural heritage—including a vast network of Indigenous Protected Areas.

Indigenous governments across the country are working to create protected areas that will sustain animals, plants, waters and lands for future generations. Our nations have enduring relationships with these places and caring for them helps us honour our cultural responsibility to the land. A new report confirms this Indigenous-led conservation can also help Canada fulfill its own stewardship commitments.

Indigenous land use plans have already resulted in the creation of national parks, tribal parks and wildlife areas, often in partnership with Crown governments. When Indigenous governments play the primary role in identifying the lands for conservation, shaping the goals and managing the land, these places can also be called Indigenous protected areas.

In August, I had the opportunity to visit with the Kaska people in the MacKenzie Mountains, in an area known as “Dechenla”. There, a young Kaska became a man by hunting his first caribou.  His fellow hunters ripped his sleeve off as a sign of his transition to manhood, and they brought its meat to our camp for preparation.  That evening, I ate caribou for the first time in over a year.  It was delicious; I felt its energy immediately.  I was eating ribs, which are fairly lean, but I could still taste some of the fat that I love so much.

The Indigenous Leadership Initiative is honoured to receive a grant from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in support of Indigenous Guardians Programs. The foundation is committed to promoting conservation, defending Indigenous rights and addressing climate change. Indigenous Guardians Programs advance all of these aims, and the grant will help strengthen and spread this powerful model of Indigenous stewardship in Canada.

Gloria Enzoe grew up hearing her mother talk about the love for the land and the need to speak on behalf of the water, air, trees and animals. When the Elders in her community of Lutsel K’e in the Northwest Territories began calling for a local program to manage traditional territory and get youth out on the land, Gloria knew it was a chance to honour her mother’s teachings. In 2008, she helped launch the Ni hat’ni Dene, an Indigenous Guardians program.

The time has come for this kind of dialogue. Indigenous Nations in Canada are preserving vast stretches of ancient forest and pristine waters. Yet Canada doesn’t always recognize Indigenous Protected Areas and other designations as contributing to the national system and “counting” towards national targets. More partnerships between Indigenous and Canadians governments can help secure this recognition.