By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer

For grassroots activists, it may feel like a brutal time to care about the planet, when our leaders do not. By 2035, it is predicted that we will hit a global temperature of 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels — a significant threshold for the worst effects of climate change to occur. This is despite country leaders promising to keep it below this temperature at the 2015 Paris Agreement. Even though big polluters have continued to rake in a whole lot of profits it’s not time to give up on climate activism. We should focus on climate stories that really make an impact, and support them as best we can. There are many ambitious climate projects that have been spearheaded by Indigenous Nations and communities, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), that show great promise. 

IPCAs are “lands and waters where Indigenous Nations, their communities, and/or governments have the primary role in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance, and knowledge systems.” Many IPCAs have been successfully implemented, while others require further support from Canadians. Global warming will not be solved by IPCAs or Indigenous Peoples’ efforts alone — nor would it be fair to expect Indigenous Peoples to solve an issue they did not create. 

IPCAs have the capacity to catapult Indigenous sovereignty to the frontlines of climate action, where the dignity and life of Indigenous Peoples are held at the heart of global change.

IPCAs are developed in many different ways, but they follow common themes. All IPCAs signify a devotion to long-term land conservation and elevate the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous Peoples. Since the 2017 report, many Indigenous Nations have designated and established IPCAs with the help of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, an Indigenous-led organization that works with Nations to establish funding from the Canadian government, provide multi-level legal support, and share extensive technical knowledge on land usage. IPCAs provide opportunities for land back by designating the care of large masses of land to the Indigenous Nations that understand the land best, while simultaneously providing the opportunity for more Indigenous sovereignty. 

Currently, Canada is aiming to conserve about a third of its waters and lands by 2030, and IPCAs lead the way to help achieve this goal. In the Northwest Territories alone, three major IPCAs are established: Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta, Edéhzhíe, and Thaidene Nëné. Together, the land masses are approximate to the size of Costa Rica and are significant moves towards land stewardship for the K’áhshó Got’ı̨nę, Dehcho, and Łutsël K’é Dene Nations, respectively. In Northwest BC, Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay) is a marine protected area governed by the laws and people of the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation. 

The next big IPCA in development is the Seal River Watershed. This rich watershed in northern Manitoba is 50,000 square km of land filled with endless forests, thriving wetlands, and sustained tundra, as well as being home to many animals. IPCAs also act as powerful forms of climate preservation by storing massive amounts of carbon within their healthy wetlands, forests, and oceans. Due to the large amount of CO2 produced by our countries, we need as much storage of CO2 as possible. 

The land has been cared for by four Indigenous Nations for millennia: the Sayisi Dene First Nation, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, Northlands Denesuline First Nation, and Barren Lands First Nation. Together, they are referred to as the Seal River Watershed Alliance, and work to make the Seal River Watershed an official IPCA. Protecting this incredible piece of land would promise a healthy and thriving future for those who live off this land, for generations to come.

The land will experience significant environmental benefits if it is preserved. Within the watershed is a carbon bank that holds massive amounts of carbon deep underneath the surface — around 1.7B tonnes. Preserving this environment prevents this massive amount of carbon from being released into the atmosphere, which would exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change. We can help the Alliance by using our voices to tell the Manitoba Premier to support the preservation of this land via Indigenous stewardship. 

For settlers, climate change can be mitigated by supporting the Land Back Movement. This movement would grant Indigenous Peoples control over more territories, which would in turn aid in establishing more IPCAs. With the increase of Indigenous sovereignty, comes the relief of climate change harms. 

There is still so much left to do in terms of climate change. We can’t simply depend on Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge to get us out of this mess. However, IPCAs are a success story leading the way in climate activism, and they achieve it through Indigenous sovereignty. To avoid the worst effects of global warming, we need change in our society to be rooted in sustainability, and that includes environments led by sovereign Indigenous Nations.