Community Conservation Research Network |

Nakatuenita: Respect

CCRN — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 17:00:27 +0000

Pressured by the Church and Governments the Innu were settled into communities in the middle of the 20th Century, then the Churchill Falls Hydro Project flooded vast areas of their land without permission. Their communities fell apart and into despair.

Now the Innu are taking back control of their land, government, schools, social services and their resources which are overseen by the Environmental Guardians.

We All Take Care Of SG̱Aan Ḵinghlas

CCRN — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 16:21:45 +0000

Explore the underwater world of SG̱aan Ḵinghlas Supernatural Being Looking Outward in this new film produced by the Council of the Haida Nation’s (CHN) Marine Planning Program. The film tells the story of how this ecologically and culturally important seamount came to be protected by the CHN and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and features incredible underwater footage from the seamount, interviews with Haida artists, youth performances and a Haida song commissioned exclusively for this project.

Stewardship Youth Photovoice Digital Story

Hillary Web Designer — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 19:20:03 +0000

In the summer of 2014, in partnership with the Community Conservation Research Network and the University of Victoria’s Science Venture program, Uu-a-thluk hosted science camps in several Nuu-chah-nulth communities with stewardship as a focus. Equipped with cameras, the children and youth went into their territories with the teachings of Nuu-chah-nulth stewardship principles and practices in mind. The images and statements they created show thought-provoking insights and ideas from this generation about taking care of our precious environment. See more youth stories here.

As Sea Level Rises, These People Show Us How to Cope

CCRN — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 16:13:03 +0000

Lennox Island is a small but culturally rich coastal community in Prince Edward Island, Canada, that is seeing the negative impact of climate change and sea-level rise. Home to Mi’kmaq (pronounced MIG-maw) First Nations people, the island faces flooding and land erosion that threaten both homes and the roads that connect the residents to the mainland. Also at risk are several archaeological sites that hold vital artifacts from the Mi’kmaq’s aboriginal ancestors. The longtime residents of Lennox Island are doing their best to mitigate the effects of climate change but fear that eventually they’ll lose their houses to the rising waters.

Published on 18 Dec 2015 by National Geographic.

The Ocean is Our Garden, Fishing Rights for Nuu-chah-nulth

Hillary Web Designer — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 01:12:54 +0000

Explore the struggles of the Nuu-chah-nulth with the Canadian government in their bid to restoring their fishing rights and preserving their culture and tradition. Some of the key issues presented in this video include the infringement of Indigenous People’s fishing rights and livelihoods, and the power exhibited by local communities in mobilizing themselves to challenge government policies that affect their rights and livelihoods.

For more information, check out our Nuu-chah-nuth community story.

A Coastal Partnership: Maritime Stories of Integrated Management

CCRN — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:47:39 +0000

A Coastal Partnership is a documentary that focuses on two First Nations and two fishery associations: Lennox Island First Nation in Prince Edward Island and Bear River First Nation in Nova Scotia; the inshore fishery of southwest New Brunswick, and the independent clammers in Digby-Annapolis, Nova Scotia. Linked together through the Coastal CURA, members from these communities have been working with academics to identify what they need to become more involved in coastal management decisions.

Across the Canadian Maritimes there are many unpublicized stories of coastal community heros, groups of people working together to protect the health of their fisheries, watersheds, and community heritage. Each story provides important lessons about the role of local values, the realities of sharing space and access to resources, and the process of creating both formal and informal pathways for local participation in coastal management.

This film, a Coastal CURA capstone project, was produced as a collective effort, not only to share the perspectives of the four coastal communities but also to be used as a reflective tool for coastal community residents in general (both within the Canadian Maritimes and beyond). Moreover, the film contains success stories and important lessons about the role of local values, the realities of sharing space and access to resources, and the process of increasing local participation in coastal management.

Wi’kupaltimk – Feast of Forgiveness

CCRN — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:00:03 +0000

Many Canadians go hungry. Tragically Indigenous Canadians are twice as likely as other Canadians to experience hunger and want in their lifetimes. Wi’kupaltimk – Feast of Forgiveness, looks at the experiences of Urban Indigenous people residing in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Salina Kemp, a Masters student, mother and Mi’kmaw from the Millbrook First Nation, takes us on a journey through all aspects of the “food security” issue – both historically and in the present.

Directed by Kent Martin, and Produced by CCRN Partner and Researcher, Dr. Trudy Sable, the film celebrates the resilience of the Mi’kmaq, and Indigenous people in general; the rich landscape and resources which were available to them prior to colonization, the medicines and wild food that are still available and the sacredness of the food that sustains human beings spiritually, culturally, and physically.

T’aaq-wiihak, Implementing Nuu-chah-nulth Fishing Rights

CCRN — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 19:45:03 +0000

In 2009, the BC Supreme Court ruled that five Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations have an Aboriginal right to fish and sell all species of fish from their territories on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. The court also ruled that Canada’s fisheries policies and regulations infringed those Aboriginal rights and directed Canada and the Nations to negotiate new fisheries regime that would accommodate the five Nations. Today, despite years of negotiations, these new fisheries have not advanced beyond the demonstration fisheries stage and First Nations continue to have very little access to resources in our territories.

This video, T’aaq-wiihak, Implementing Nuu-chah-nulth Fishing Rights, presented by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and Uu-a-thluk discusses the challenges faced by Nuu-chah-nulth fishers and how implementing T’aaq-wiihak fisheries would benefit both Nuu-chah-nulth fishers and the surrounding community.

The Haida Gwaii Marine Plan

CCRN — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 23:44:29 +0000

The above video is part of a six-episode film series produced by the Council of the Haida Nation (CHN) Marine Planning Program. It features interviews with Haida matriarchs, chiefs, and politicians speaking about the ocean and marine planning on Haida Gwaii. The series focuses on Haida values and the responsibility to take care of the tang.gwanaay “the ocean”, as well as the next steps marine planning partners will be taking to ensure tang.gwanaay is protected for future generations. View all the other film episodes and learn more about the Council of the Haida Nation Marine Planning Program through their newly launched website.