Exploring Aboriginal Forestry and Ecosystem-based Management: a Case Study of Cowichan Tribes
Year: 2004
Type: dissertation
Abstract: As First Nations people in British Columbia regain control over the land and resources in their traditional territories, frameworks to guide aboriginal forestry will be required.First Nations share a common desire for control over their forest resources and need to be able to select approaches to management that reflect their values, meet their objectives, and suit the characteristics of their land-bases and communities.Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has been proposed as an appropriate tool for First Nations interested in pursuing forestry that meets traditional, social, economic, and ecological objectives.Major themes of EBM include maintenance of ecological integrity, adaptive management, cooperation and collaboration, and integration of social values.In this study, I explore the usefulness of EBM as a tool for aboriginal forestry at Cowichan Tribes, a First Nation located on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.Through case study research, I examine the opportunities, challenges, and options for implementation associated with Cowichan Tribes' approach to forestry based on an analysis of data from a survey of community forest values and an evaluation of a recently developed Cowichan Tribes' Forest Policy.Cowichan Tribes' Forest Policy shares characteristics of an EBM approach to forestry.Opportunities associated with using EBM as a tool for aboriginal forestry at Cowichan Tribes include that it may: facilitate the incorporation of traditional values and knowledge, enhance participation in forest related activities, provide alternatives to status quo forest practices, provide opportunities for community involvement, provide opportunities to develop better relationships with external parties, and validate community social values within a resource management framework.Challenges posed by using EBM as a tool to aboriginal forestry involve: limited control over the landscape, limited capacity to do research, forgoing short-term economic benefits, lack of institutional flexibility and long-term support, lack of meaningful accommodation by external parties, and difficulty soliciting community participation.The main current options for First Nations involvement in forestry in BC are each evaluated in terms of their usefulness for Cowichan Tribes.The options were rated in the following order of descending usefulness: co-management, treaty settlement lands, on Reserve, Crown tenures, and joint-ventures.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Claire Hutton
Language: English
Topic: Forest Management and Policy
Subfield: Forestry
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2134422377