Conservation: New pathways
NCC President and CEO, John Lounds (Photo by Simon Wilson)
There is a changing conservation dynamic in Canada, one in which Indigenous Peoples are regaining their voices. It is a time of shifting paradigms, “where Indigenous Peoples decide what conservation and protection means to them and to the lands and waters and are given the space to lead its implementation in their territories.”1
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) recognizes the deeply spiritual connections between Indigenous People and the land on which they have lived for millennia.
Today, as a leading conservation organization, NCC also recognizes we have much to learn from Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, which in turn will help us to become even better land managers and conservationists.
NCC is already working with Indigenous communities on many productive collaborations coast to coast to coast. In this issue of the NCC Magazine you will learn about some of these innovative approaches to conservation. But we can do more. NCC has a unique opportunity to contribute the skills we have acquired to assist Indigenous communities and nations to achieve their conservation goals.
We believe that by working together, in the spirit of reconciliation, we can help to heal broken connections between Indigenous people and the land. We envision a future in which our relationships with Indigenous communities grow and are grounded in mutual respect and the common desire to achieve significant and durable conservation outcomes for the sake of the Earth we all share.
John Lounds, President and CEO
1We Rise Together, 2018, Indigenous Circle of Experts.
