Attach requests to visible results, so funding agencies can visualize the end product. Have a full time fund-raiser on staff, do activities to raise funds. There must be assurance that funding sources have philosophies and goals which are compatible with the program being developed. Challenges to Initiating a Program Even if there is significant energy supporting an initiative, there are forces working against the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in forestry education programs. Although many Indigenous people are economically dependent on the forest industry and many more also have a strong spiritual and cultural attachment to the land, many factors may limit their community's ability to be decision-makers with regard to the land.
Many communities lack the technical information to become leaders in management.
They lack trained community members and the resources to hire those who are trained. There is a need for Indigenous people to be empowered by the recognition of their knowledge and rights so that they can play a more active role in preserving the natural world. Public education systems have historically marginalized the Indigenous perspective. Indigenous people have had minimal political voice in institutions and government and limited power to advance their perspective in environments driven by capital power. The laws governing lands and land use, locally and globally, are complex and change as treaties evolve.