GBA Update Fall 2024

LAND & FORESTS

By Doug Whitton, Chair, First Nations Liaison Committee

Indigenous Land Conservation in Georgian Bay

C anada has signed on to international initiatives and agreements to increase global biodiversity. To meet these biodiversity targets, a number of land and water conservation initiatives have emerged in recent years, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) being one. Shawanaga Island IPCA is the only one currently in progress in Georgian Bay as of 2024. What is an IPCA? An IPCA is where Indigenous peoples lead the protection and care of lands and waters using Indigenous laws and knowledge. IPCAs should not be confused with land claims, as they are not part of any land claim processes. According to the Indigenous Leadership Initiative (ILI), IPCAs are nation-to-nation agreements that: While the protection of biodiversity is the main objective of IPCAs, cultural heritage practices and preservation of Indigenous languages are equally important, as well as the protection of land following Indigenous law and traditional environmental knowledge (TEK). There are 37 IPCA projects in Canada. By comparison, Australia has 82 Indigenous protected areas. IPCAs are one of several types of Indigenous conservation. Others include Tribal Parks, Indigenous Cultural Landscapes, Indigenous Protected Areas, and Indigenous Conserved Areas. Why Were IPCAs Established in Canada? Canada needs to meet biodiversity conservation goals to meet international agreements. The Canadian government set ambitious targets for land and water conservation in 2015. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, established in 2011, was the starting point for international initiatives to remedy the global loss of biodiversity. In 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada launched the Target 1 Challenge, which included the following goals and timelines for protecting Canada’s land and waters: ≥ Are led by Indigenous communities ≥ Represent a long-term commitment to conservation ≥ Elevate Indigenous rights and responsibilities

≥ 2020 - 17 per cent of Canada’s land and inland waters and10 per cent of marine and coastal areas would be protected by 2020. ≥ 2025 - 25 per cent of Canada’s lands and waters will be protected by 2025. ≥ 2030 - 30 per cent of Canada’s lands and waters will be protected by 2030. Setting goals is one thing; accomplishing them is another. Pathway to Target 1 is the initiative to meet Canada’s Target 1 goals. The Pathway is a planning process that has established protocols, principles, and frameworks to achieve the targets. The Pathway to Target 1 team includes the Indigenous Circle of Experts as one of three groups contributing recommendations to the pathway. Reconciliation is one of the guiding principles. From the beginning, multiple cultural perspectives and knowledge systems were embedded in the process. Another mandate of the Pathway was to conceive of a network of protected and conserved areas rather than merely “green islands.” The connections in the network (i.e., migratory routes) are for animals, birds, fish etc., and are necessary for enhancing biodiversity in the long term. It’s important to consider the outcomes of conservation – to increase biodiversity – rather than just the quantity of land being conserved. Conservation of What? From What? Biodiversity is the web of life. It’s a fancy word for biology. Spending time in Georgian Bay, it’s hard to imagine that there’s a need to worry about biodiversity loss. However, increasing biodiversity is urgently needed from a global perspective to prevent ecosystem collapse. The biggest catalyst for loss of biodiversity (species decline) is habitat loss. We take biodiversity for granted in Georgian Bay. But we shouldn’t. Consider the analogy to personal health. You shouldn't take it for granted if one is fortunate enough to be healthy and in good physical shape. You still need to know what might put your health at risk and try to avoid those things.

www.georgianbay.ca

GBA UPDATE Spring 2024

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