Here, four Nova Scotia communities are highlighted in a celebration of community level governance, traditions, and culture. At the first plenary event of the 2018 Communities, Conservation and Livelihoods conference, speakers shared insight, experience and reflections from their respective communities.

Bear River First Nation was presented by Christiana Louwa (an indigenous woman from Kenya, director of the El Molo Forum, and co-chair of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples) on behalf of Dr. Sherry Pictou, a Mi’kmaw woman from L’sɨtkuk (water cuts through high rocks) who works in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. She has served the broader Mi’kmaw community in several capacities including being elected Chief for her community and as a former co-chair of the World Forum of Fisher People.

Sheet Harbour was showcased by Sandra Moser, Executive Director, Sheet Harbour Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs. She described local work taking place in community development and in developing Eastern Shore-wide sustainable tourism through the Wild Islands Tourism Advancement Partnership.

The entrepreneurial cultural work of the Eskasoni First Nation was detailed by Stan Johnson, who spoke about environmentally sustainable promotion, development of ecotourism businesses such as guided walks on Goat Island Trail, and work with fisheries. Stan is a Mi’kmaq from Eskasoni, in Cape Breton, with 10 years’ experience at the Eskasoni Economic Development Corporation.

Spryfield (a neighbourhood of Halifax) was presented by Bruce Holland, founding member of the Spryfield Business Association and Parkview newspaper. He provided insight regarding how business development and community spirit go hand-in-hand.

Key Themes:

Governance, Rights & Conflict,  Indigenous Issues,  Engagement, Education & Empowerment,  Places & Spaces

Video and presented material:

Note that the video is ‘audio only’ for the first 7 minutes. Below the video is a visual PowerPoint that opens in a new tab when clicked.

“ ‘Communities, conservation and livelihoods’ is a big research agenda because it cuts across disciplines and because there are so many variables potentially involved that it is difficult to find an entry point. Based on some of our work with the CCRN, the issue may be addressed in four steps.

First, we need to identify the resources and the actors at the relevant space and time scales. People and environment need to be considered together as social-ecological systems (SES), since social (human) and ecological (biophysical) subsystems are linked by mutual feedbacks, and are interdependent and co-evolutionary. Second, we need to identify conservation-related knowledge and practices: what makes community conservation work, and how do resource users interact with their environment? Third, governance, including commons institutions and any power-sharing arrangements, is important. Who are the rights-holders? Who makes decisions and controls the resources on which livelihoods are based? Fourth, in a rapidly changing world, how does the SES respond to change? What makes the SES resilient (or not)? Social learning toward increasing adaptive capacity and building resilience can be fostered, for example, by collaborative learning networks and knowledge co-production. These four steps can lead to community conservation assessment, followed by asking what can be done better and returning to step one, in the spirit of the adaptive management cycle.”

– Fikret Berkes (University of Manitoba)

Key Themes:

Factors of Success in Community Conservation,  Governance, Rights & Conflict,  Engagement, Education & Empowerment,  Climate & Environmental Changes

Video and Presented Material:

The Local-Global Leaders Dialogue brings indigenous peoples’ representatives and local civil society leaders together with national policymakers and global thought leaders on priority issues in the areas of communities, conservation and livelihoods. This discussion focuses on around three priority themes:

(i) securing and expanding rights to communal lands, territories and natural resources;

(ii) how indigenous peoples and local communities are  engaging in environmental conservation supporting sustainable livelihoods; and

(iii) creating political, legal and institutional space for indigenous peoples and local communities to contribute to policymaking and planning, as well as how they can best be supported in policy.

Speakers:

Kristen Walker-Painemilla (Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environment, Economics and Social Policy SVP, Policy Center for Environment and Peace at Conservation International)

Antonio Benjamin (National High Court of Brazil/ Chair of the World Commission on Environmental Law)

Kanyinke Sena (Executive Director, Indigenous Peoples Coordinating Committee of Africa)

Pasang Dolma Sherpa (Center for Indigenous Peoples Research and Development, Nepal (CIPRED))

Yeshing Juliana Upun Yos (Sotzil Association, Mayan Kaqchikel woman from Guatemala)

Stewart Maginnis (International Union for the Conservation of Nature)

Key Themes:

Governance, Rights & Conflict,  Indigenous Issues,  Livelihoods,  Wildlife & Fisheries,  Climate & Environmental Changes

Video:

In many nations – particularly those which are considered to be developing or affected by conflict, it has been found that women are often primarily responsible for ensuring their household needs (such as access to potable water, food, and energy) are being sufficiently met. As such, they play a critical role in the management and use of natural resources. However, as emphasized by the speakers who contributed to this session; there is still a concerning lack of understanding regarding the notable impact women can have on the policy development and implementation process within their respective communities, and beyond. In appreciation of this, a discussion of comparative traditional and/or cultural gender relations and dynamics of power (which limit potential female participation in governance) is provided through personal accounts by women hailing from Madagascar, Guatemala, Hawaii, and Pakistan.

An emphasis is placed on the need to push toward equal recognition of women’s knowledge and capacity to contribute to sustainable development and natural resource management. As human and environmental well-being go hand in hand, it is important to recognize that policies which consider the interests of both spheres simultaneously are more likely to be effective in the long-term -and to be well regarded by local communities. Therefore, active participation of all demographics, including females, in sustaining livelihoods and natural resource management can only lead to a more rich set of perspectives and priorities in the decision making process.

Key Themes:

Engagement, Education & Empowerment,  Factors of Success in Community Conservation, Livelihoods, Governance, Rights & Conflict, Conserved Areas

Panelists:

Shaelene Kamaka’ala, from Hawaii, jointly founded the Kahana Kilo Kai program for grassroots and community-based ocean monitoring, and is currently a Community Based Fisheries Area coordinator.

Meher Marker Noshirwani (Pakistan) works in the field of women, development, environment and climate change, and is the Regional Vice Chair for Asia of the IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP).

Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy (Madagascar) has a particular interest in ocean governance, indigenous communities and human rights defense. She focuses on coastal communities as the future of the fisheries in Madagascar, and currently coordinates Madagascar’s LMMAs (Locally Managed Marine Areas) Network.

Yeshing Juliana Upún Yos is a Mayan Kaqchikel woman from Guatemala. She focuses on the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially as they relate to natural resources and sustainable development, with a focus on biodiversity conservation based on traditional knowledge.

Discussion Facilitated by Kristen Walker-Painemilla (Chair, IUCN Commission on Environment, Economics, and Social Policy (CEESP))

Video:

Key themes found throughout the resources below relate to how Indigenous communities are facing and responding to environmental and livelihood sustainability challenges, drawing on Indigenous perspectives on the environment and natural resource stewardship. A dialogue is built through personal accounts both from within Canada, and internationally.

Indigenous knowledge (IK) has the potential to provide invaluable insight for community-based development and conservation efforts through the sharing of multi-generational intellectual capital within and between communities and organisations. This traditional knowledge system provides a means of addressing both environmental and social concerns simultaneously, and sustainably. By incorporating Indigenous knowledge in the policy process, and going beyond simply the duty to consult with aboriginal peoples, we gain unmatched insight into sustainable social-ecological management – for the benefit of all.

Session Chair

Maureen Googoo

(A Mi’kmaq journalist from Indian Brook, Nova Scotia)

Key Themes:
Indigenous Issues,  Livelihoods,  Climate & Environmental Change,  Governance, Rights & Conflict

Click titles to view videos and presentations:

Through presentations made by numerous knowledgeable professionals during the 2018 Communities, Conservation, and Livelihoods conference, valuable insight and personal experiences were shared on topics such as structures of governance, sustainable livelihoods, rights and conflict, Indigenous peoples (and the challenges they face both today and historically), among several other themes.

The comparative systems of social and ecological management discussed through this conference can be used to help inform policy across scales -from the community level onward. They remind us that we are indeed all part of nature, and share a dynamic relationship with our surrounding environment.  In bringing together the themes of communities, conservation, and livelihoods (CCL), we are reminded of the balance that exists between humans and nature; when we take time to care for the earth, it will care for us in return.

By weaving together a diverse set of perspectives, ideas, values, and approaches which were presented over the course of this three day conference, several commitments for the future were made by conservation organizations and industry experts alike. These exciting next steps will help guide community-based conservation initiatives, promote collaboration between communities and institutions, and lead us toward a unified and sustainable future.

Key Themes:

Factors of Success in Community Conservation,  Governance, Rights & Conflict,  Indigenous Issues,  Livelihoods,  Engagement, Education & Empowerment, Climate & Environmental Change

Communities, Conservation and Livelihoods: Commitments

Video:

The first video below features a spoken word performance by Mi’kmaq artist Shalan Joudry, presenting her insights from the conference. The second video continues with the conference synthesis and closing ceremony.