COP16 is known as the “implementation” COP, where countries must demonstrate how they will achieve their goals. One of the best ways to move from vision to reality is to support Indigenous-led conservation. In Canada alone, Indigenous Nations lead the biggest conservation initiatives in the country.

There are more than 160 First Nations Guardians programs caring for lands and waters across the country. They are generating wide-ranging benefits–for lands and waters, for health and wellbeing, for communities and regional economies, and for the country.

The Indigenous Leadership Initiative and the Honourable Michèle Audette, Senator, arranged to build a shaputuan on Parliament Hill. The shaputuan will offer a positive, Indigenous space on the Hill to showcase the benefits that Guardians programs generate for lands, communities, and the country.

Indigenous Nations are transforming what conservation looks like in Canada. We are leading the biggest, most ambitious plans for sustaining healthy lands and communities in Canada. And now we are stepping into the global spotlight.

The Boreal Forest in Canada holds about 12 percent of the world’s land-based carbon reserves. Indigenous Nations are leading the biggest, most ambitious projects for conserving lands—including some of the richest carbon storehouses across the boreal.

The biggest, most ambitious plans for protecting lands in Canada are led by Indigenous Nations. These plans are part of the larger movement of Indigenous-led conservation—a movement that is reshaping relationships between Indigenous and Canadian governments and between people and the land.

Now is a pivotal time. Canada has vowed to double its protected lands by 2020 and many Indigenous Nations have proposed new protected areas. Supporting Indigenous-led conservation is the most efficient and most effective way for Canada to reach its goal.

Canada committed to protecting at least 17% of lands and freshwaters by 2020. The most effective way for Canada to reach this goal is to support conservation work led by Indigenous Peoples. Moving forward, Canada can learn from a powerful model: Australia.

Indigenous Nations are developing innovative tools and models to conserve lands and waters for future generations. Indigenous-led conservation will take on even greater significance in the coming years as Canada works to achieve conservation goals laid out in the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Across Canada, Indigenous Guardians are working to conserve and manage their lands. They monitor wildlife, patrol protected areas and reduce the impacts of climate change. In the process, they honor their cultural traditions and train the next generation of leaders.