Print PageFirst Nation views of land in land use planning and stewardship in the boreal forests of North America have been neglected in the high-level, top-down policy decisions that are being made to "protect", "conserve" or "develop" land. These top-down decisions lack understanding of local issues and people and are being made in a global political arena that leaves out local voices. This presentation aims to give voice to First Nations about their views of land stewardship. Theories around the management of the commons, Indigenous rights and environmental justice, and community-based conservation will frame the study. The researchers are collaborating with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), a Provincial-Territorial Organization representing the Treaty #9 and Treaty #5 areas of northern Ontario, most of which is north of the 50th parallel. Using interviews, focus groups and document reviews, First Nation views (those of NAN and others across Canada and around the world in the boreal forest) are being catalogued and then shared with policy-makers and those influencing policy decisions at different scales—from local to provincial, national and international—about conservation and development. Using popular publications, conference presentations and multistakeholder gatherings, it is hoped that First Nation voices will help to inform and transform the current debate and policy around conservation and development in the boreal forest.
Results/Conclusions
The presenter will tell the story of the boreal conservation movement in Canada, with a focus on Ontario, exploring the tactics used by conservation organizations to influence government policy to increase protected areas in the northern boreal forest to a 50% target. First Nation reactions to and alternative approaches to the current conservation paradigm will be examined. The presenter concludes by addressing whether and how the divide between these two different worldviews might be bridged.
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