Print PageThrough the Government of Canada’s Aboriginal Funds for Species at Risk (AFSAR), a funding program used to foster stewardship activities for species at risk and their habitats, 608 projects have been funded over the last seven years in Canada. The AFSAR program encourages Aboriginal communities to participate in the collection, documentation and use of species at risk information, including traditional knowledge, to conserve species at risk and their habitats. Stewardship is one of the key components of the Canadian Species at Risk Program and work currently underway by Aboriginal groups and communities is key to the successful conservation and recovery of species at risk and their habitats.
In Ontario, there are 133 First Nation communities, 171 federally listed species at risk, and species at risk have an impact, either directly or indirectly, on every community. Many of these First Nation Reserve lands contain a high number of species at risk and/or a high abundance of one or more species at risk. Some First Nation communities in Ontario have over 60 known species at risk, while others have the largest populations or only known population of individual species at risk known in Ontario (or in some cases Canada). To date, 85 AFSAR projects have been funded in Ontario.
Results/Conclusions
First Nation's people have a strong connection to the stewardship and the land. This connection has been transferred through the generations as Traditional Knowledge and continues to foster a sense of stewardship between the past and the future. This presentation will highlight projects conducted by First Nations in Ontario that have been funded by the Government of Canada through the AFSAR Program. Key activities underway which are aiding in species at risk conservation and recovery will be highlighted. Topics covered pertaining to species at risk will include: Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge, land use planning, outreach and education, threat mitigation for species at risk, habitat improvement, and how partnerships with First Nations and other partners is benefiting species at risk recovery. First Nations and other Aboriginal groups have been proactive stewards of wildlife and their habitats in their long history and continue to be leaders and active participants in conserving wildlife both on and off reserve lands. Recovery activities for species such as American Ginseng, Woodland Caribou and various turtle species, which are, or were traditionally used as a source of medicine or food, along with innovative recovery approaches will also be discussed.
