Advancing Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas on land and ocean (CPAWS)
Channel: Nature Positive
Date: 2022-12-09

7 December 09:00 - 10:30am EST

Indigenous-led conservation is essential to halting and reversing biodiversity loss in an equitable, just and effective way, including in meeting national and global protected area targets for land and ocean. Evidence shows that lands, waters and ocean stewarded by Indigenous Peoples contain 80% of the remaining global biodiversity. Many Indigenous nations are advancing IPCAs and Indigenous stewardship programs like Guardian programs, to protect land, enhance food security, support cultural continuity, and deliver economic benefits for communities. In this session First Nations conservation leaders from across Canada will share their experiences and vision for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Indigenous-led conservation.

- Matthew Munson, Bistcho Lake IPCA, Dene Tha’ First Nation

- Stephanie Thorassie: Land Advocate and Executive Director of the Seal River Watershed Initiative - an initiative led by the Sayisi Dene First Nation to protect the entirety of the Seal River watershed for our future generations in partnership with their Cree, Dene and Inuit neighbours. 

- Patti Sauls:  Executive Director of the Maliseet Nation Conservation Council and a member of the Maliseet tribe of Indigenous people, whose lands lie along the Saint John River watershed on both sides of the US and Canadian border in Northeast Maine and Southern New Brunswick. Ms. Saulis is an experienced tribal policy administrator, environmentalist, and educational planner, and has a very extensive background working in tribal organizations on matters of social well-being, education and environmental sustainability.

- Wanli Ou, Senior Policy Analyst, Assembly of First Nations