Indigenous-led Natural Climate Solutions: A Promising Path Forward

By Steven Nitah, David Flood, Leora Gansworth, Mary-Kate Craig, and Lara Powell.

June 16, 2022

We are currently at a crossroads. The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss intersect with the resurgence of Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty (Beazley and Olive, 2021). There is an opportunity for environmental reconciliation, and for all people to reconsider their relationship with the living Earth. Indigenous-led conservation offers a path forward: one that addresses ecological devastation and envisions a powerfully connected future of living well together. The conservation and protection of biodiversity and the resurgence of Indigenous self-determination go hand-in-hand (M’sɨt No’kmaq, et al, 2021).

Yet, to be sustained, planning a viable future on Earth requires resourcing: a sustained source of income, or an economic heart. Indigenous Peoples have been managing their lands and waters for thousands of years. In doing so, they have developed strategies to adapt to and mitigate against ongoing climate changes, often without recognition or support. Ironically, they have failed to benefit financially, while parties that have long contributed to climate change are now benefiting from carbon sequestration projects. Indigenous Peoples are the traditional caretakers and must be the beneficiaries of existing and future environmental stewardship activities.

The concept of “nature-based solutions”, or “natural climate solutions” (NCS), has recently surged in popularity as a promising opportunity for advancing climate action through natural systems. NCS include actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural carbon sinks, such as forests and wetlands.

New research reveals that NCS can deliver immediate solutions for tackling the climate crisis. With increasing attention given to NCS, Indigenous governments are calling for recognition of their historic role in stewarding carbon sinks and contemporary NCS initiatives within their territories.

Currently, there are legal and regulatory challenges for Indigenous leaders to overcome in order to make this a reality. Federal and Provincial governments must recognize clearly defined rights for Indigenous Peoples to manage carbon in their traditional territories. If Indigenous rights and leadership are not prioritized, NCS efforts will fail to achieve climate objectives.

Moreover, without attention to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and recognition of self- determination, as highlighted in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), NCS efforts could undermine reconciliation by further dispossessing and excluding Indigenous Peoples from decision-making.

We must act now to ensure that NCS efforts unlock the potential of Indigenous-led solutions. To this end, the IPCA Economics, Infrastructure and Finance Stream, a stream of work within the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership, is convening conversations and gatherings to determine actions to achieve Indigenous-led NCS in Canada.

Read on to learn more about past and ongoing work at this critical intersection, from irrecoverable carbon to carbon rights, youth-led solutions, and integration with Indigenous Guardians initiatives.

Irrecoverable Carbon and Indigenous Stewardship

The carbon stored in Canada’s lands has been vastly underestimated. New research supported by the World Wildlife Fund Canada reveals that 327 billion tonnes of carbon are stored in terrestrial ecosystems across Canada. Much of this carbon is stored in peat soils in northern Ontario and Quebec, where one square meter of peatland contains about five times more carbon than the same area of the Amazon rainforest.
These boreal peatlands store what is considered “irrecoverable carbon”. That is, if these ecosystems are disturbed, vast stores of carbon will be released into the atmosphere that could not be restored by 2050 – when the world must reach net-zero emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown. With a quarter of the world’s remaining peatland carbon stores in Canada, what we do in these and other vital regions in Canada will alter the pace of global climate change.

What is also clear is that this carbon is stored within Indigenous territories, and has been managed by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years. For instance, the Hudson and James Bay Lowlands are some of the largest peatland areas in the world and are home to seven First Nations who form the Mushkegowuk Council.

Mushkegowuk Council Chiefs have long known the value of protecting their lands and have called for a moratorium on mining the mineral-rich area until a proper protection plan is in place. If left unprotected, these vast carbon sinks could potentially become carbon sources. To monitor the health of the peatlands, the Mushkegowuk First Nations are currently leading Geographic Information System Mapping (GIS) training, carbon monitoring, and Indigenous Guardians programs.

The best action we can take to preserve irrecoverable carbon is to support Indigenous leadership and authority over their territories. Indigenous Peoples have a wealth of knowledge to contribute to NCS, and Indigenous-led initiatives are already underway. For instance, there are now more than 70 Indigenous Guardians programs across the country, as well as Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), cultural burning and fire management efforts, and many more examples.

NCS can contribute to creating economic support for these initiatives, enabling benefits that go far beyond carbon sequestration. There are many examples in Canada. For instance, the Coastal First Nations (CFN) has developed three forest carbon projects as part of a thriving conservation economy that supports healthy ecosystems and member Nations.

The Cheakamus Community Forest illustrates another successful case in B.C. An Indigenous-owned company Wahkohtowin Development GP Inc. and its three owner First Nations, are leading yet another initiative in the Missinaibi Forest (Enhanced Sustainable Forest License) with an opportunity to apply for six million hectares of forest tenure.

Indigenous Rights to Carbon

Above all else, Indigenous leadership is critical from the perspective of Indigenous rights and reconciliation. Indigenous self-determination, rights, and authority have been eroded by colonization since European contact. Indigenous-led NCS present a powerful opportunity to support Indigenous rights and resurgence as part of a much-needed systemic transformation on the road to reconciliation.

Rights for the management of carbon that is stored in Canada have yet to be clearly defined and delineated. Indigenous jurisdiction over traditional territory and inherent carbon rights is generally not recognized, yet “Crown lands” host the largest carbon stocks and the most scalable opportunities for NCS.

Carbon rights could be sui generis (meaning “of its/his/her/their own kind”) Aboriginal rights that might hold promise in supporting resurgent efforts about decision making and self-determination as part of the wider Land Back movement. Currently, there are few cases globally where the right to carbon is clearly defined, and there are calls that these rights must be explicitly and formally recognized and protected in law.

This poses a key barrier to moving forward on Indigenous-led NCS. The IPCA Economics, Infrastructure and Finance Stream is working to address this gap in an effort led by Steven Nitah and supported by numerous partners including Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nature 4 Justice. A writing group has been established to conduct a series of interviews and co-create background documents on the following topics: key barriers facing Indigenous peoples contemplating NCS; legal and policy pathways; and relevant International and Canadian case studies to inform the process.

Discussions and dialogues will be held in a series of regional and national gatherings to determine an aligned vision, a strategy for action, and policy recommendations for establishing the jurisdiction and right to manage carbon in traditional territories.

Underpinning these efforts is the opportunity of Bill C-15, an Act respecting UNDRIP which received Royal Assent on June 20, 2021. An action plan for implementing Bill C-15 is under development and raises the outstanding question: “How can federal and provincial governments support Indigenous stewards as rights holders over the management decisions of carbon in their territories”?

What is clear is that Indigenous Peoples retain inherent, treaty, and constitutional rights to manage and protect their territories and homelands. These rights are supported by similar movements, including the rights of nature, climate change response, and in Canada, the move toward reconciliation. Each of these factors can support Indigenous rights to create economic benefits, as well as rights to the social enjoyment of healthy territories for current and future generations.

Beyond Carbon Offsets

A key thread within these conversations about Indigenous carbon rights is that Indigenous-led NCS is about much more than carbon offsets. While the term has sometimes been misapplied, “natural climate solutions” is not a synonym for “carbon offsets”, which represent only a very small slice of what is possible.

In the short-term, nature-based carbon offsets may play a role in achieving climate targets and commitments; however, this should be pursued in tandem with cutting fossil-fuel use and accelerating clean energy initiatives. Carbon offsets are a bridge - a temporary bandaid in the transition away from fossil fuels.

Conversely, NCS encompass activities such as fire management, wetland restoration, pest management, and altering forest management that are all part of the actions needed to create thriving, biodiverse systems. For many Indigenous Peoples, NCS include environmental stewardship and the responsibilities of Natural Law, which comes with the time immemorial understanding that everything is connected.

NCS can provide an opportunity for addressing climate change, but only if historic stewardship and Indigenous right to self-determination are at the centre. Although Canada claims to advance reconciliation, this is often not evidenced when the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent continues to be denied by extractive industries in Canada.

While carbon offsets offer a temporary solution as we transition off of fossil fuels, Indigenous leaders are working to build a foundation for NCS that will live on to support healthy lands and communities for generations to come. By integrating NCS with Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Indigenous Guardians programs, a wide range of social, ecological and economic benefits are on the horizon. A cohesive and collaborative national network is required to ensure that this occurs through a Two-Eyed Seeing lens and within Ethical Space.

Looking Forward with an Example

When Indigenous leadership is prioritized, NCS can become an avenue to revitalize traditional knowledge and protect lands, waters, and species that are integral to cultural resilience and community wellness. Wahkohtowin Development GP Inc. is leading the way in this regard, taking steps to advance NCS in alignment with the priorities of its owner First Nations, and building capacity through youth engagement.

Most recently, Wahkohtowin hosted a workshop series on climate action via its Indigenous Guardians program with support from the CRP and Ecotrust Canada. The initiative engaged youth Guardians in discussions on climate and culture, culminating in a youth-led webinar and short film. Over the Summer, the Guardians will continue to learn about NCS and will work with local Elders to integrate community priorities into NCS planning for the Missinaibi Forest. One of the Guardians perfectly summed up the broader importance of this work:

“Climate Action is important because it’s a part of our inherent responsibility to the planet and each other. We all share this task of making sure the places we live, that have been cared for by all the people that came before us, can continue to be healthy and continue to support future generations.”

— Elena McCulloch, Wahkohtowin Climate Action Guardian and M.Sc. Candidate, University of Guelph

This work has always been about rights and responsibilities on the land. Reconciliation in Canada cannot happen without conversations and decisions about the land. Nature-based solutions hold a powerful opportunity to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, but they must be embedded in thriving conservation economies rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, stewardship, and leadership.

The revenue generated from caring for and protecting these lands and waters needs to flow directly to Indigenous stewards as own-source revenue, rather than through government-mandated granting programs. Indigenous conservation leadership should be recognized for the incredible benefit it brings to Canada, and the whole planet.

Learn more

Curious to learn more or be involved in Indigenous-led Natural Climate Solutions (NCS)? Check out the resources provided below and visit the IPCA Knowledge Basket – an interactive website designed through a Two-Eyed Seeing lens to build knowledge, capacity, and relationships in support of IPCAs, including integration with NCS.

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