IPCA FAQs

+ What are Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)?

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are lands and waters where Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) governments have the primary role in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance and knowledge systems.

• Culture and language are the heart and soul of an IPCA.

• The Indigenous Circle of Experts, through their engagement process and research, found that IPCAs vary in terms of their governance structure and management objectives. However, they generally share three essential elements:

• they are Indigenous-led;
• they represent a long-term commitment to conservation; and
• they elevate Indigenous rights and responsibilities.

• In the Canadian context, IPCAs represent:

• a modern application of traditional values, Indigenous laws and Indigenous knowledge systems,
• an exercise in cultural continuity on the land and waters,
• a foundation for local Indigenous economies,
• opportunities to reconnect to the land and heal both the land and Indigenous Peoples,
• an acknowledgement of international law, such as Canada’s Treaties, the United Nations’ declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other relevant instruments and commitments,
• an opportunity for true reconciliation to take place between Indigenous and newcomer societies, and between broader Canadian society and the land and waters, including relationships in pre-existing parks and protected areas, and
• an innovative expression of Section 35 (Constitution Act 1982).

Indigenous Peoples have been and continue to be caretakers of their lands and waters since time immemorial. However, Nations may not choose to define their caretaking using the IPCA framework and terminology.

For more information, read the Indigenous Circle of Experts’ (ICE) ground-breaking report, We Rise Together. Watch this video for an introduction on IPCAs: https://youtu.be/dR1EeEB2t2I  

+ Who can establish an IPCA?

Any Indigenous nation or government can create an IPCA based on their own priorities. They are Indigenous-led. IPCAs are modern expressions of the inherent rights, responsibilities and relationships to the lands and waters Indigenous Peoples have been exercising for millennia.

• IPCAs are not a federal or crown-led initiative. While several IPCAs have been supported or created with funding from various federal initiatives (ex. Climate Action and Awareness Fund, Canada Target 1 Challenge), they do not require federal recognition, authority, or funding to be established.

• Additionally, while an Indigenous Nation or Government may establish an IPCA independently, they may also decide to welcome partnership arrangements later in their development if they so choose.

• For example, Grassy Narrows First Nation unilaterally released a Land Declaration in 2018 which officially declared their entire Traditional Land Use Area an Indigenous Sovereignty and Protected Area (ISPA; a form of IPCA). Later in their journey, Grassy Narrows First Nation sought and received support from the federal government through the Canada Target 1 Challenge Fund Program.

+ Are Indigenous approaches to conservation as effective as State-led approaches?

Increasing evidence shows that Indigenous approaches to conservation are far more effective than State-led approaches in protecting and strengthening biodiversity.

• For example, biodiversity is often higher or equal in(state-recognized) Indigenous lands than state-led parks in Canada and beyond. There is also growing international evidence that Indigenous-managed areas are at least as effective as state-controlled protected areas in resisting deforestation and degradation from logging and other forms of land use.

• Globally, Indigenous Peoples currently manage or have jurisdiction on over 40 percent of the world’s protected areas.

• In Canada, Indigenous rights, title and responsibilities apply to a larger area than what is formally recognized by the state. Within many of these areas, Indigenous Nations and partners collaborate to protect landscapes from industrial and extractive industries.

• Canada’s goal to conserve and protect 25 percent of lands and oceans by 2025 will unlikely be met without the support and leadership of Indigenous Peoples.

+ How do Indigenous approaches to conservation differ from State-led approaches?

There are several ways in which Indigenous approaches to conservation differ from State-led approaches. Indigenous approaches, while distinct from Nation to Nation or Government to Government, generally share a recognition, respect and responsibility for the interconnectedness of all life.

• Indigenous-led conservation encourages respectful and reciprocal interactions with lands, waters, plants and animals. These interactions can include traditional practices (harvesting, medicine gathering, controlled burns), language development and revitalization, land-based learning, ecotourism and sustainable resource development.

• The colonial approach to conservation separates people from nature. Through this process, Indigenous Peoples have been and continue to be barred from their territories, preventing them from carrying out cultural practices and excluding them from decision-making.

+ Are IPCAs only created to protect and conserve biodiversity?

No. Primarily, Indigenous Governments, Nations and Peoples create IPCAs to assert their nationhood and sovereignty on the lands and waters they have been stewarding for millennia.

• Additional reasons to create an IPCA can include but are not limited to:

• Exercising Indigenous title, rights and responsibilities.
• Promoting and revitalizing the practice of Indigenous languages, knowledge systems, cultures and spirituality.
• Providing and/or increasing access to traditional foods and medicines.
• Promoting intergenerational and land-based learning.
• Cultivating sustainable economies and capacity building.
• Advancing Indigenous approaches to economies versus others (i.e. resource extraction).
• Protecting lands, waters and wildlife for future generations.
• Protecting threatened cultural keystone species (i.e. caribou: West Moberly First Nation and Saulteau First Nation; bears and cedar trees: Great Bear Rainforest)

• The creation and management of an IPCA may also be influenced by:

• The specific Nation’s history, culture, and leadership or political dynamics.
• The geographic region being considered.
• The importance of the area, biologically and/or culturally.
• The social and economic circumstances of the Nation/Government and the surrounding areas.
• Threats from industrial development such as mining and logging (see this blog on Grassy Narrows First Nation and Dasiqox - Nexwagwezʔan Tribal Park; and this media story on Gitanyow First Nation).

For more information see:

• Tribal parks and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas: Lessons from B.C.

• “Let us teach you”- Exploring empowerment for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in B.C.

• Indigenous Laws in the Context of Conservation

• Indigenous Guardians Toolkit

• Decolonial conservation: establishing Indigenous Protected Areas for future generations in the face of extractive capitalism.

+ How does one establish an IPCA? What are the steps?

There is no single blueprint or process for establishing an IPCA. IPCAs are self-determined by the unique needs of each Indigenous Nation or government, or a collective of Indigenous governments.

• All Indigenous Nations/Governments would have areas within their territories that could qualify as IPCAs.

• In IPCA creation, Nations/Governments will consider their vision and values, laws, revenue streams, governance and decision-making models, partnerships, operations and stewardship, communication and relationship-building, and land-relationship planning.

• Some examples of how Nations have created IPCAs include:

• Thaidene Nëné: Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation held several information sessions to discuss draft Establishment Agreements and held a community referendum before proceeding with establishment. Learn more about how Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation created and upheld their three laws.

• In the establishment of Dasiqox - Nexwagwezʔan Tribal Park, the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations and Yuneŝit’in Governments held several public information sessions, released regular communications materials and received feedback from community members while determining their vision for the park.

The IPCA Creation Guide offers guidance and key considerations for Indigenous governments and communities interested in creating an IPCA.

Another helpful resource based on experiences from B.C., page 50 of this report provides a checklist of IPCA tools from the David Suzuki Foundation.

+ Does the establishment of an IPCA require legal and jurisdictional recognition from Crown governments?

No. Indigenous Governments hold the inherent right to designate IPCAs in their territories.

They do not require legislative permission, support or recognition from Canadian federal, provincial or territorial governments to do so. However, achieving recognition from other governments or developing partnership agreements can be beneficial in supporting the creation of an IPCA.

• Indigenous governments have the primary role in determining the objectives, boundaries, management plans and governance structures for IPCAs as part of their exercise of self-determination.

• For example, Tsilhqot’in communities have chosen not to seek provincial protected area designation. They approach Dasiqox - Nexwagwezʔan Tribal Park as an assertion of their Indigenous law over unceded territory.
• Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks have never been formally recognized by federal and provincial governments and have not sought formal designation under Crown legislation.
• Grassy Narrows First Nation declared their entire Traditional Land Use Area an Indigenous Protected and Sovereignty Area (ISPA, a form of IPCA) to assert and enforce their sovereignty over their territory, including banning of industrial activities.

+ Do Indigenous Governments have to cede land to Crown governments to create an IPCA?

No. Indigenous Governments do not have to cede land to Crown governments to create an IPCA, even when these lands are co-managed. Additionally, the title of lands does not need to be agreed upon by both parties to establish an IPCA.

• IPCAs are a mechanism for Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty to exercise their rights and responsibilities to their lands and waters.
• Even in cases where Indigenous Nations/governments choose to co-manage their IPCAs with Crown governments or choose to have their IPCAs designated as protected areas under Canadian legal systems, they are not required to cede their territories to the government of Canada (see: Indigenous Laws in the Context of Conservation). • There are several examples where IPCAs are co-managed between Indigenous and Crown governments – each with a distinct arrangement based on relationships, reciprocity and reconciliation.

• In Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, the Haida First Nation chose to adopt a co-management strategy with the Canadian federal government in the Gwaii Haanas Agreement in (1993). In this agreement, both governments agreed to work together in their shared interests in achieving certain goals and upholding certain values, while agreeing to disagree on the title of the region (see: Tribal parks and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas: Lessons from B.C.; Indigenous Laws in the Context of Conservation)

• Thaidene Nëné was designated as a jointly established IPCA, a federal National Park Reserve and as a Territorial Park under territorial legislation in 2019. This occurred after Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and Parks Canada achieved significant progress in trust and relationship-building.

For more examples on governance models, see: IPCA Governance Models: A Snapshot of Existing Conservation Governance Agreements

Indigenous Laws in the Context of Conservation Report.

+ Is Crown government funding required to create an IPCA?

No, Crown government funding is not required to create an IPCA. Financial support for IPCAs is based on the wishes and requirements of the governing Indigenous Nation(s)/government(s).

• Funding and governance structures of IPCAs are often dynamic over time as they develop.

• Several methods have been used to fund IPCAs, including but not limited to:

• Ecotourism (ex. Tla-o-qui-aht; Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation).
• Trust and endowment funds(ex. Thaidene Nëné Fund, Coast Funds).
• Ecosystem services fees (ex. Tribal Park Allies program).
• Philanthropic partnerships or contributions (ex. Seal River Watershed Initiative)
• Developmental projects and joint ventures (ex. Tla-o-qui-aht Canoe Creek Hydro Project).
• Carbon offsets (ex. Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative)
• Provincial/territorial/federal grants (such as the Canada Target 1 Challenge and the Climate Action Awareness Fund).
• Private donations.

+ How are IPCAs managed or governed?

IPCAs are Indigenous-led and vary in their management and/or governance systems.

• Generally, IPCA management systems fall into, but are not limited to, three categories:

1.Indigenous governance

• In IPCAs that are fully Indigenous-led and managed, Indigenous authorities assert their inherent rights and jurisdiction over their territories without formal recognition by Crown governments

2.Shared decision-making

• IPCAs with shared decision-making systems are generally based on mutual respect, collaboration, equal authority and shared objectives between Indigenous Nations and other entities, including federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, governments, NGOs, academic institutions, land trusts.

• In this context, a jointly appointed management board provides advice and recommendations on decisions that may affect planning, management, operations, monitoring and evaluation.

3.Co-management/consultation

• In IPCAs with co-management frameworks, also known as consultation frameworks, Indigenous Nations act as advisors and Crown governments have the ultimate decision-making authority.

• Within this context, and for this framework to be aligned with the key elements of an IPCA, the Indigenous Nation(s) chose and consent to the use of Crown legislation and significantly shape how Crown decisions are made.

For more information see:

IPCA Governance Models: A Snapshot of Existing Conservation Governance Agreements

Indigenous Rights in the Context of Conservation Report.

+ Where can IPCAs be established?

IPCAs can be declared anywhere within the territory of an Indigenous Nation, Government or community. This includes, but is not limited to, designated reserve lands, cities/towns, rural areas and watersheds.

The location and extent of IPCAs are determined by Indigenous Nations/governments and may overlap with Crown lands, provincial parks, government-conserved lands, forest tenures and private lands (see: Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks; Sespite'tmnej Kmitkinu Conservancy)

IPCAs can encompass large areas of land and also smaller, ecologically and culturally significant areas (see: Tribal parks and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas: Lessons from B.C.).

• While many IPCAs are established in rural areas with low population density, this is not a requirement. IPCAs in cities and towns can be a mechanism for self-determination and would strengthen Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships to lands and waters.
• Several researchers and partners in the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership are beginning to document existing and potential opportunities for Indigenous-led conservation in cities and towns. (see: Urban parks are ‘landscapes of opportunity’ for Indigenous conservation leadership)