“ Mother nature corrects us with a firm but loving hand, and then we don’t have to fight her, or fight climate. We have to learn to respect her again. And so, for me this is the gift of sacred urgency. ‘Urgency’ is a word that inspires, for some people, anxiety. And there is an urgent need to act, still. But sacred urgency takes away that anxiety. It provides us with a moral and philosophical approach that will encourage all of us to be our best selves in the years to come, for what we’re going to leave behind for our grandchildren and our great grandchildren.”
Within just a short amount of time, since the release of the We Rise Together Report in 2018, we have witnessed a great momentum spread throughout the Indigenous-led conservation movement. Thanks to the incredible leadership of Indigenous governments from coast-to-coast-to-coast, we celebrate the following advancements:
There are now more than 60 Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) led by Indigenous Peoples from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
There have been unprecedented financial investments in IPCAs and Guardians Programs. (Including federal announcements of $800 million for four Indigenous-led conservation initiatives and $340 million for IPCAs and Guardians Programs)
There is widespread recognition that Indigenous-led conservation is the future of conservation in Canada.
The Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership has sought to nourish this movement through community-based research, creating and hosting collaborative spaces, sharing knowledge and resources, and building relationships across geographies, sectors, and generations.
We share a deep commitment to healing relationships with the lands and waters that sustain life, including human life. We also share an urgency and a responsibility to act by sharing and braiding our knowledge, gifts, and strengths.
The responsibility of this work lies with everyone, and everyone’s responsibilities are different. Indigenous Peoples are leading the way. The responsibility of conservation agencies and organizations, academic institutions, and funders is to listen, re-learn, and support through action
We encourage conservation sector partners and contributors to this work to heal relationships, open doors, and build bridges. When we heal together, we rise together.
Learn more about how you can get involved in and/or support the Indigenous-led conservation movement by clicking on the resources below:
Learn and Un-Learn
Beyond Conservation: A Toolkit for Respectful Collaboration with Indigenous Peoples. The Indigenous Knowledge Circle of the National Boreal Caribou Knowledge Consortium.
"Land Back": A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper.
"Cash Back": A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper.
Indigenous-led Conservation Reading List. Compiled by Megan Youdelis, Kim Tran, and Elizabeth Lunstrum.
Engage and Contribute:
IPCA Knowledge Basket: a digital space created to honour, celebrate, and catalyze Indigenous-led conservation pathways in Canada, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).
Land Needs Guardians Campaign: Learn more and join the movement.
Listen:
Building Ethical Partnerships for Indigenous-led Conservation. Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership Virtual Campfire Series.
Organizational Change and Reconciliation within ENGOs. Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership Virtual Campfire Series.
"What is Land Back?" .David Suzuki Foundation.
Take Action:
“How to Be an Ally for Indigenous-led Conservation”. Indigenous Leadership Initiative and Land Needs Guardians.
“Ally Toolkit”. Wolastoqey Nation.
“Resources for White Allies”. First Light.