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Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are lands and waters where Indigenous Peoples have the primary role in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance and knowledge systems. Check out two examples of IPCAs at Edéhzhíe and Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve and Territorial Protected Area.
IPCAs support a vision where ecosystems are thriving in balance with resilient communities and Indigenous Peoples. Efforts to enable and recognize IPCAs through the Pathway initiative reflect a growing global trend where governments are recognizing areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
IPCA is not a specific designation. IPCAs include a spectrum of conservation mechanisms and models that support Indigenous leadership in conservation. Areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples, such as IPCAs, are only one part of Indigenous-led conservation efforts taking place across Canada.
As described by the Indigenous Circle of Experts: “…while IPCAs can vary in terms of their governance and management objectives, they generally share three essential elements:
Frequently Asked Questions: Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas
The Frequently Asked Questions document is intended to contribute to answering some common questions about IPCAs, particularly in the context of the Pathway initiative. The questions and responses have been compiled from a variety of discussions that have arisen within the IPCA Working Group or from conversations members have had with partners. While these FAQs are available to anyone who may be interested, the main intended audience is Pathway members, including federal, provincial and territorial officials. An excerpt of questions and answers are below.
The Indigenous Circle of Experts (ICE) developed and adopted the term Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) to describe various land protection initiatives with Indigenous leadership in the Canadian context. ICE was formed to make recommendations and offer guidance on how IPCAs could be realized in Canada, as well as to help achieve Canada’s conservation goals in the spirit and practice of reconciliation. The work of ICE began in March 2017, and commenced more formally in June 2017 through a pipe ceremony. In addition to its regular meetings, ICE hosted a series of four regional gatherings across Canada to get more input into its recommendations and report. This work was supported by the National Advisory Panel, which also made recommendations related to IPCAs. Both of these processes included the concept and principles of Ethical Space to help guide how partners work together to support IPCAs. For more context on Ethical Space, go to Q21.
The concept of IPCAs was informed by the work of the ICCA Consortium to recognize territories and areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, or “territories of life,” around the world. One successful international example comes from the Australian Indigenous Protected Areas model. Australia currently has 78 dedicated Indigenous Protected Areas, managed by Indigenous groups for biodiversity conservation through voluntary agreements with the Australian government. The IPCA concept also builds on the vision for Indigenous protected areas described in the 2017 report A New Shared Arctic Leadership Model by the Minister’s Special Representative Mary Simon. Although the IPCA concept builds on this vision, the term IPCA is not commonly used among Inuit and in national discussions in reference to Inuit-led conservation areas.
IPCAs are lands and waters where the purpose, development, establishment and ongoing management reflect and enable Indigenous culture, interests and leadership. The characteristics of IPCAs vary by place, jurisdictional landscape and partners involved. This evolving concept is inclusive and dynamic and is now being put into action. Since ‘IPCA’ is a concept, there is no IPCA-specific policy or legislation used to establish them. Various different mechanisms can be used to support the protection of IPCAs (see Q11), but an area is not described as an IPCA until the Indigenous governments, organizations or communities involved decide this to be the case (see Q13). IPCAs can contribute towards Canada’s terrestrial and inland water area-based conservation targets if they meet the criteria for a Protected Area or Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure (OECM) (see Q9).
The Indigenous Circle of Experts provided the following definition of IPCAs in We Rise Together:
“IPCAs are lands and waters where Indigenous governments have the primary role in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance and knowledge systems. Culture and language are the heart and soul of an IPCA . . . IPCAs vary in terms of their governance and management objectives. However, they generally share three essential elements: They are Indigenous-led; they represent a long-term commitment to conservation; and they elevate Indigenous rights and responsibilities.” (We Rise Together, 2018, pp. 35-36).
Based on the advice of the Indigenous Circle of Experts, this definition and the three essential elements were adopted in the One With Nature report, 2018 (Appendix 4). This report was prepared by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial departments responsible for parks, protected areas, conservation, wildlife and biodiversity. Both We Rise Together and One With Nature describe how IPCAs can include a wide spectrum of management models. Some IPCAs may use a co-management or cooperative management model where Indigenous Peoples, federal, provincial, territorial or municipal governments and others adopt shared decision-making, joint management or advisory mechanisms. In other cases, the desired approach may be areas governed entirely by Indigenous Peoples. IPCAs are meant to embody an Indigenous government’s, organization’s or community’s vision for their territory. This can take many forms. For example, in territories heavily affected by industry, a vision for a world that reflects reciprocal relationships with land and waters could result in an ambitious approach to restoration. The term IPCA has the same umbrella meaning as protected and conserved areas. Many types of tools can be used to create these areas, and they often have long planning horizons (e.g. 7 generations; 500 years).
The term IPCA does not need to be used to explain what is important to all Indigenous governments, organizations and communities in Canada in relation to protected and conserved areas. Regardless of the terminology used, the hope is that current discussions and examples of IPCAs will inform and enable all forms of conservation, whatever that may look like or be called in each case.
One of the essential elements of IPCAs, as described in both We Rise Together and One With Nature, is that they are “Indigenous-led.” This means that Indigenous Peoples have the option to take on responsibility and have “the primary role in determining objectives, boundaries, management plans and governance structures for IPCAs as part of their exercise of self-determination” (One With Nature, pp. 45). The options include a spectrum of governance models (see Q16), depending on various factors such as what the Indigenous government, organization or community and implicated jurisdiction want. Indigenous governments, organizations and communities can choose the path and governance model they wish to pursue in an informed and collaborative way. Every Indigenous government, organization or community will have its own understanding of what Indigenous-led means for them in the context of the IPCA and their conservation partners.
There are many examples of existing IPCAs across Canada. The Appendices of We Rise Together (pp. 80-93) give ten examples of existing conservation and protected-area initiatives involving Indigenous governments, Nations and Peoples in Canada. These examples include Tribal Parks such as the Dasiqox Tribal Park, led by a Steering Committee of Xeni Gwet’in and Yunesit’in leadership; and the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks, which began with the Meares Island Tribal Park declaration in 1984. Another example given in We Rise Together, which also has sole Indigenous governance, is the Wehexlaxodıale land use exclusion zone in the Tłįchǫ land use plan for Tłįchǫ Lands. The 2005 Tłįcho Agreement gave the Tłįcho government the power to enact laws in relation to the use, management, administration and protection of Tłįchǫ lands, including enacting land use plans.
Some recently announced examples of IPCAs that involve partnerships with federal, provincial or territorial governments are Edéhzhíe, Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta, and Thaidene Nëné (made up of a National Park Reserve, Territorial Protected Area, and Wildlife Conservation Area). Edéhzhíe is a partnership between the Dehcho First Nation and Environment and Climate Change Canada. It will be protected concurrently as a National Wildlife Area under the Canada Wildlife Act and as a Dehcho Protected Area. Thaidene Nëné was established through government-to-government partnerships between Indigenous and Crown governments. The partners include Lutsël K’é Dene First Nation, Northwest Territory Métis Nation, Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Parks Canada Agency, and the Government of Northwest Territories. Part of Thaidene Nëné is protected as a National Park Reserve under the Canada National Parks Act, another part is protected as a Territorial Protected Area under the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Act, and the final part is a Wildlife Conservation Area under the Northwest Territories Wildlife Act. The entirety of Thaidene Nëné is declared an Indigenous Protected Area by Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation. Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta Indigenous and Territorial Protected Area (Tuyeta) was identified by the K’asho Got’ı̨nę Dene and Métis. Tuyeta was established in September 2019 and is co-managed by the K’asho Got’ı̨nę and the Government of the Northwest Territories. The area is both an Indigenous Protected Area protected under K’asho Got’ı̨nę law and a Territorial Protected Area protected under the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Act.
Direct involvement and leadership of Indigenous governments, organizations and communities in conservation is needed to reach Canada’s conservation goals. Enabling Indigenous governance systems through IPCAs can support more effective and expansive conservation outcomes (Artelle et al., 2019). It can also support successful conservation initiatives that would have failed without the involvement and full support of Indigenous governments, organizations and communities. For example, the proposed East Arm National Park failed in the 1960s because it did not have the support of Łutsël K’e Dene. At the time, Canada also did not address the interests of the Northwest Territory Métis Nation, Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, and Yellowknives Dene First Nation in the area. Now this area has been successfully protected by applying the principles of IPCAs to create Thaidene Nëné.
Indigenous-managed lands already contribute significantly to biodiversity and maintaining ecosystems. The international conservation community is increasingly recognizing that every landscape has been shaped by people, and Indigenous and local communities need to continue to play an important role in stewarding these lands (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2005, pp. 2-5). Indigenous governments, organizations and communities are well-placed to be the boots on the ground in remote areas and have in-depth knowledge of their lands and waters to support stewardship. One study comparing biodiversity between Indigenous-managed or co-managed lands (including protected areas) and settler-managed protected areas found that Indigenous-managed lands have slightly more vertebrate species and support more threatened vertebrate species than their counterparts. In South America, research has shown that Indigenous-tenured lands see two to three times less deforestation. IPCAs can also address climate change by protecting forests, wetlands and grasslands where carbon is stored. Enabling Indigenous governments, organizations and communities to be able to fulfill their responsibilities to their lands and waters through IPCAs benefits everyone.
IPCAs are an important part of advancing reconciliation. They support the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. There is a need to reconcile the history of harmful, exclusionary and colonial land use approaches that have been used in Canada and replace them with new, more inclusive approaches that support Indigenous leadership, rights and responsibilities. This is reflected in the Pathway federal, provincial and territorial One With Nature report, which includes a priority to “promote greater recognition and support for existing Indigenous rights, responsibilities, and priorities in conservation” (One With Nature, 2018, p. 6).
IPCAs can be areas that enable the rebuilding and strengthening of Indigenous organizations, nations, communities, families and individuals. From a cultural standpoint, this does not come without challenges. There remains a history of language loss, knowledge loss and disconnections from lands resulting in distrust within many communities (We Rise Together, 2018, p. 48). IPCAs contribute to the reconciliation process by recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ sacred connection to their land, language and culture, and protecting the land for many generations to come.
There are a range of management models that can apply to IPCAs and other protected and conserved areas that support a meaningful role for Indigenous Peoples. Some IPCAs may employ a co-management or cooperative management model where Indigenous Peoples, federal, provincial, territorial or municipal governments and others adopt shared decision-making, joint management or advisory mechanisms. In some cases, areas governed by Indigenous Peoples will be the desired option. – One With Nature
The purpose of this report is to help create and support the conditions for success and resilience of IPCAs and other forms of Indigenous leadership in Conservation. It was created through a knowledge gathering process conducted by the members of the IPCA Working Group and fulfills the IPCA Working Group deliverables agreed to by the Pathway National Steering Committee. These include:
This work is continually evolving and the IPCA Working Group (ec.apcaipca.ec@canada.ca) is open to receiving input and contributions.
This annotated bibliography is a spreadsheet of resources compiled by the IPCA Working Group. It includes documentation on lessons-learned, best practices, and impediments related to operationalizing Indigenous leadership in conservation and IPCAs. The spreadsheet is sortable according to different themes and key words, and includes summaries of and links to each resource.
The Annotated Bibliography is a key contribution to the development of the Solutions Bundle (see Partner Resources)
This document is intended to be evergreen and all users are encouraged to provide feedback or additional resources to the IPCA Working Group (ec.apcaipca.ec@canada.ca).
The IPCA Knowledge Basket is a digital space that holds and shares resources to inform, guide, and advance Indigenous-led conservation initiatives, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs). A legacy initiative of the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership, it was created to honour, celebrate, and catalyze a larger, national movement of Indigenous leadership in conservation.
The IPCA Knowledge Basket is an online platform for reciprocal knowledge-sharing and collaborative learning in the spirit of ‘We Rise Together’. Inspired by the practice of basket weaving, the IPCA Knowledge Basket represents the strength, beauty, and abundance we can create by weaving together Indigenous and western science, innovation, and knowledge.
Begin your learning journey and visit the IPCA Knowledge Basket: www.ipcaknowledgebasket.ca
This work was completed by Danika Littlechild and Colin Sutherland and gifted to the Pathway to inform future work and partnerships.
The report is available here: Enacting and Operationalizing Ethical Space and Two-Eyed Seeing in Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Crown Protected and Conserved Areas
This work was completed by Larry Innes (Olthius Kleer Townshend), Georgia Lloyd-Smith (West Coast Environmental Law), and Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (University of Guelph) and gifted to the Pathway to inform future work and partnerships.
The full report is available on the CRP website: Indigenous Laws in the Context of Conservation — CRP Website (conservation-reconciliation.ca)
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