Climate change and anthropogenic activities represent key challenges to the sustainability of ecosystems, affecting food, water, and cultural security, hence impacting human rights, Indigenous rights, and vulnerable peoples. In the spirit of Reconciliation in nation-to-nation relations, the recognition of the right to be equally involved in decision-making regarding land management, addressing climate change, and sustainability of resources is not only imperative, but a Crown obligation to maintain the ability and opportunity to practice S. 35 Aboriginal and treaty rights, as understood by Indigenous peoples, for generations to come. This requires inclusive dialogue and criteria for setting monitoring and management plans that meet cultural expectations for the quality and condition of Indigenous lands and resources for the confident exercise of Aboriginal and treaty rights.
Helping organizations manage and monitor the health, sustainability of, and access to their lands and resources for current and future generations of rights-holders.
Gathering Indigenous worldviews on reclamation, fish, water quality and quantity, wildlife and other traditional resource and access concerns to provide feedback and Indigenous knowledge for inclusion in government, industry, and environmental organizations plans, policies and initiatives;
Liaising with government agencies, proponents, and environmental and monitoring organizations regarding monitoring and cumulative effects management;
Sourcing opportunities for community member environmental monitoring training and participation in field surveys, and monitoring programs;
Representation in environmental organizations;
Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge (also referred to as Traditional Ecological Knowledge) in environmental monitoring, and government land management plans for adoption of meaningful thresholds that include relevant cultural criteria;
Promotion of food, water, and cultural security for Indigenous peoples in the face of climate change, development, and government land management plans through regional, national, and international policies, reports, conventions, protocols, and declarations, such as: the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Report, the Convention on Biodiversity Article 8(j), the Nagoya Protocol, Kyoto Protocol, and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Client Technical Support and Representation for Traditional Resource Management:
Support and representation at Alberta Environment and Parks (formerly Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development) Land Use Secretariat Lower Athabasca Regional Plan and Sub-Regional Plans meetings;
Support and representation as petition signatory to UN World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring Mission to Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site (Decision 39 COM 7B.18, Annex 1) to assess the state of conservation and potential threats to its ecological and universal value;
Support and representation at industry project meetings and workshops (ie, Teck Resources Ltd. Wildlife & Access Mitigation Workshops);
Client representation at the Alberta Land Institute (ALI) Symposium (address of ALI government policy-makers for inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and land use values in research criteria, multi-community presentation on Indigenous land stewardship values);
Technical support and representation on the Oil Sands Monitoring Program, Alberta Environment and Parks, Indigenous Community Based Monitoring Advisory Committee (ICBMAC).
Technical support and representation on the NWT-AB Bilateral Water Management Agreement Advisory Committee