Publications
Where There Are Guardians, There Are Benefits
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.
A Shaputuan Built on Parliament Hill to Celebrate Guardians
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-Led Conservation: The Key to Sustaining Biodiversity in Canada
Indigenous Nations are leading the biggest, most ambitious plans for sustaining lands and healthy communities across Canada. These plans draw on thousands of years’ of knowledge about the land and water. They reflect the understanding that if we care for the land, the land will care for us.
Indigenous-Led Conservation in Canada: a Model for COP15
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.
Enhancing Community Capacity and Evaluating Place-Based Pedagogy in Indigenous Tourism
Conservation-based activities like ecotourism provide Indigenous Nations with economic opportunities that reflect Indigenous stewardship. Many Nations are working to build Indigenous-owned ecotourism companies, guided by Indigenous values, managed by Indigenous people, and following policies established by Indigenous people. This work can be an expression of Nationhood and self-determination.
The Role of First Nations Guardians in Wildfire Response & Management
Every year, wildfires erupt in Canada’s vast forests. Often driven by lightning or increased industrial activity, these fires can consume many millions of hectares of boreal and other forests annually. The strategy, developed by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, as part of a joint project with the Centre for Northern Conservation, International Boreal Conservation Campaign, and the McCall MacBain Foundation, is offered as a draft for discussion with Guardians, First Nations, fire agencies, and others, including researchers and philanthropists. Further dialogue and early efforts on the ground will help to refine it.
Indigenous-led Conservation in the Boreal Is Key to Climate Leadership
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.
Indigenous-led Conservation: IPCAs & Guardians
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.
BC Poll Report on Indigenous-led Conservation
A BC poll conducted by StratCom found strong support for Indigenous-led conservation among British Columbians. Over two-thirds of those surveyed, for instance, support investment in Indigenous stewardship as part of the BC government’s economic recovery measures.
June 2020 Public Opinion Poll on Economic Recovery & Conservation
As the country focuses on restoring public health and the economy in the face of COVID-19, most Canadians continue to want the federal government to prioritize nature protection. Nearly three in four support federal investment in Indigenous stewardship to help create jobs, build prosperity, and meet Canada’s conservation commitments.
Indigenous-Led Conservation:Job and Economic Opportunities that Work for Nature
New federal investments in Indigenous Guardians and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas will create immediate, vital new jobs in Indigenous communities across the country. They will also help transform regional economies towards a more sustainable future.
How to Be an Ally of Indigenous-led Conservation
The Indigenous Leadership Initiative is proud to share these guidelines created by the Land Needs Guardians Campaign, as a resource on how Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can work together in a new approach to conservation—one that demonstrates reconciliation in action.
Indigenous-Led Conservation: Creating Jobs and Economic Opportunity
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.
Submission to the Special Senate Committee on the Arctic
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.
Indigenous-Led Conservation from Australia to Canada
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.
Assembly of First Nations Resolution: IPCAs - Pathway to Canada Target 1: Conservation 2020 Initiative
At the Assembly of First Nations – Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Quebec in 2015, the Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution in support of a National Land Guardians Program.
Indigenous Conservation Is Central to Achieving Canada’s International Commitments
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.
SVA Analysis of Current & Future Value of Indigenous Guardians Work in the NWT
An analysis of two emerging Indigenous Guardians programs in the NWT found they create about $2.50 of social, economic, cultural and environmental results for every $1 invested. With support from a national network, researchers projected the value could increase to up to $3.70 for each dollar of investment.
Assembly of First Nations Resolution: Support for a National Guardian Program
At the Assembly of First Nations – Special Chiefs Assembly in Gatineau, Quebec in 2015, the Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution in support of a National Land Guardians Program.
A National Indigenous Guardians Network
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.