Introduction by Audubon—Throughout a myriad of landscapes and circumstances all over the world, Indigenous leaders with the assist of their elders and group, are implementing new applications to guard, preserve, and handle their conventional lands. Throughout Canada alone, greater than 60 Indigenous Nations have initiated Land Guardian applications to do that work, together with the Seal River Watershed Alliance Land Guardians in northern Manitoba.
The Seal River Watershed Alliance is a joint initiative of the Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Dene Nation, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. Collectively, they’re main the way in which to completely defending 12-million-acres (or 4,856,227 hectares) of forests, wetlands, lakes, streams, and rivers in Northern Manitoba. Audubon has been working with the Seal River Watershed Alliance Land Guardians on a three-year chook survey, which highlights the significance of the Seal River Watershed for sustaining an impressively numerous and plentiful group of chook species. These outcomes are getting used to assist their proposed Indigenous Protected Space.
In late October, a gaggle of the Land Guardians and Youth Guardians from the Seal River Watershed Alliance traveled to Cali, Colombia to share their tales and alternate concepts with world leaders, conservationists, and native highschool college students through the United Nations Biodiversity Convention (COP16). Birds just like the Canada Warbler and the Blackpoll Warbler breed throughout the Boreal Forest of Canada and winter in locations like Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil. These shared birds assist join individuals throughout the hemisphere who’re working to guard and preserve all of the locations birds want all year long.
The following Op-ed—co-authored by Manitoba’s Atmosphere Minister and Seal River Watershed Alliance’s Government Director—was posted within the Winnipeg Free Press on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. It explains the significance of their work and the importance to your entire planet.
“Land guardians step into the spotlight“
By: Tracy Schmidt and Stephanie Thorassie
Amid fall chook migration this yr, a brand new examine discovered that over 100 chook species depend on the Seal River Watershed in northern Manitoba. Contemplating North America has misplaced over three billion birds in the previous couple of many years, this discovery is a brilliant spot — one which shines far and large. Most of the watershed’s birds fly to backyards throughout the province, and a few proceed south all the way in which to the Amazon.
This week, a delegation of Indigenous land guardians from the Seal River Watershed is following an analogous route. These youths are becoming a member of heads of state, ministers and over 14,000 delegates in Cali, Colombia for the United Nations Biodiversity Convention, or COP16. And just like the migratory songbirds from the watershed, they’ll carry a message of hope.
They’ll share how their 4 First Nations are working to maintain the Seal River Watershed for all individuals and set up the most important land-based protected space in Canada. And they’ll describe a mannequin of conservation that advances reconciliation and creates sustainable financial progress.
We’re proud they’ll carry Manitoba into the worldwide highlight with an instance of partnership, prosperity and Indigenous management.
The world wants examples like this now greater than ever. The planet is dropping animal and plant species at alarming charges — as we see right here with caribou and polar bears. And local weather change threatens communities with excessive climate, like this yr’s harmful fireplace season and flooding.
Defending the Seal River Watershed will help reverse a few of these tendencies. Spanning 50,000 sq. kilometres, it’s dwelling to 26 species in danger, together with nearly 200,000 wintering caribou. It holds 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon in its soils, wetlands and peatlands. That’s equal to eight years’ price of greenhouse gasoline emissions from Canada.
Dene and Cree individuals have been caring for the watershed for millennia. Just lately, the Sayisi Dene First Nation launched the Seal River Watershed Alliance with neighbours Northlands Dene First Nation, Barren Lands First Nation and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. They’ve a shared imaginative and prescient of building an Indigenous Protected Space that displays their information, historical past and cultures.
This features a plan for sustainable financial progress. The watershed has neither hydro improvement nor present mining claims. It does have world-class river rapids, thriving cultures and plentiful birding and fishing — components of a robust tourism trade.
Welcoming guests is not going to solely create native jobs, however will even generate enterprise for tools sellers, suppliers and resorts throughout the North.
Since defending the watershed requires ongoing stewardship, the alliance has created 4 full-time and eight part-time land guardian jobs. Their work ranges from monitoring seals with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy to gathering conventional information with elders. They partnered with the Nationwide Audubon Society to supply the report on the 102 chook species within the watershed and their on-the-ground monitoring, and elders engagement dramatically improved the findings; a earlier examine that didn’t draw on native information discovered solely 70 species.
These alternatives — to seek out good jobs, acquire skilled coaching and reconnect with language and tradition — assist shut the hole between Indigenous individuals and different Manitobans. In addition they reply to root causes of these gaps.
The trauma of residential faculties and relocation continues to reverberate in communities, however time on the land brings therapeutic and restores delight and function.
That’s why supporting the alliance’s imaginative and prescient for the watershed is a vital step within the path to reconciliation. We’re working in a nation-to-nation-to-nation partnership to advance that imaginative and prescient.
Final January, the 4 alliance nations, the Manitoba authorities and the federal authorities signed an settlement offering interim protections for the watershed whereas we examine the feasibility of making a protected space. Since then, individuals have shared enter via stakeholder engagements and public conferences and the findings shall be reported within the coming months.
The land guardians who attend COP16 will relay this progress and clarify the way it might allow Manitoba and Canada to attain the shared objective of defending 30 per cent of land and water by 2030. They’ll speak about the advantages of an Indigenous-led strategy to conservation.
On the January signing ceremony, Premier Wab Kinew mentioned he was moved to see the alliance’s work and additional inspired the mission and its “improvement of a non secular and cultural legacy for future generations, and improvement of eco-tourism and different financial alternatives.” We’re so happy with the land guardians who will share this message with the world and we sit up for persevering with to work collectively to make Manitoba a worldwide chief in Indigenous-led conservation.
- Tracy Schmidt is the minister of setting and local weather change.
- Stephanie Thorassie is the chief director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance.
