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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
A five-person Australian contingent was in Yellowknife Oct. 30 with the aim of sharing information with First Nations about the benefits of traditional lands stewardship.

Hosted by the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation at The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the five-person team consisting of Australian aboriginal rangers, Parks Australia and discussed indigenous protected areas (IPAs). Also accompanying the group was Larry Innes from the Canadian Boreal Initiative, a non-profit that aims to conserve Northern woodlands.

"There is a great deal of collaboration between Canada and Australia," said Innes. "They both recognize the essential role aboriginal people play in the construction of indigenous lands."

Innes said he went to Australia a few years ago to see how their Indigenous Rangers Network (IRN) worked within Australia's IPAs. He liked the idea and partnered with groups there to come to Canada and share their knowledge.

"There are a great deal of similarities between Northern aboriginal people in both communities," said Innes. "Both Northern communities are populated by aboriginal people; they're resourced based; their economical and social circumstances are not that different; and they both struggle to have their rights recognized."

Similar to national parks, the IPAs use the rangers network contracted by the government to manage the parks by controlling wildfires, exotic weeds, and feral animals with the use of traditional knowledge and science. The IPAs maintain traditional culture through interpretive programs while also allowing for skills development and employment of aboriginal people. The Australian government hopes to create 40 per cent more IPAs over the next five years, encompassing about eight million hectares.

"The Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation is in negotiations with the Government of Canada to establish a new protective area in the region ... to manage and operate the Thaidene Nene Park," said Stephan Ellis, assistant negotiator for the Thaiden Nene file for the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation.

Ellis said the band and the government have been in negotiations for 40 years on how best to manage and operate the 33,000-square-kilometre area.

"We are not sure how many people will be 'rangers' or something like that," said Ellis.

"It depends on the visitation and operational scenario for the protected area. However, at this time the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation is already implementing its own indigenous ranger program called Ni hat'ni Dene, or "Watchers of the Land." Currently, nine people are employed in this program on a seasonal basis."

Ellis noted that the Haida have an indigenous land management partnership with the government regarding the Haida Gwaii, off the coast of British Columbia, but that the Lutsel K'e Dene are taking that "a step further" by not only conserving the park and operating within it but by managing the park as well, something that is usually done by Parks Canada.

"IPAs are emerging all around the world and are being recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The union recognizes the importance of using indigenous groups to protect the land," said Innes about the world's oldest and largest global environmental organization, which consists of an international collection of government, scientific, and NGO members including the Government of Canada.

Australia has 51 indigenous protected areas which comprises 25 per cent of Australia's National Reserve System with a land mass of 36 million hectares, which is roughly the size of Japan. Currently, 22 per cent, or 170 million hectares of land is indigenous-owned. Since 2010, the IRN has grown from 100 rangers to 680 with a target of 730 rangers by 2015.

The IPA program is part of the greater Working on Country program of the Australian government, which centres on employing First Nations peoples to protect and conserve the environment. Funding for Working on Country is over $244 million.

Countries that have followed Australia's initiative are Brazil, Norway and New Zealand, forming the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Land and Sea Managers Network.

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