Analyzing Forest Policy to Advance Indigenous-Led Forestry Initiatives and Increase Adaptive Capacity

Indigenous groups across Canada continue to regain sovereignty over their traditional territories and this research focuses on their involvement in Manitoba’s forest sector. A large proportion of First Nations communities in Manitoba are forest-based, and there is a revitalized opportunity and vigor for communities to build successful and sustainable forestry initiatives that could address their respective goals while building adaptive capacity towards climate change impacts. The focus of this research was to understand the barriers and opportunities Indigenous groups experience in respect to federal and provincial forest policy and how Indigenous-led forestry initiatives can enhance the adaptive capacity and climate change resilience in First Nation communities. The first research objective was to describe federal, provincial, and Indigenous policy measures impacting Indigenous-led forestry. This was achieved through a systematic policy scan and interviews with Indigenous forestry experts that uncovered various impactful measures, including enabling legislation and preventative legislation. The second objective was to identify policy provisions that could support or hinder Indigenous-led forestry. The results show that while Indigenous groups are often excluded from forest policies and policy making processes, the provincial and federal governments have increased efforts towards Indigenous inclusion in recent years. A notable example is the progressive timber harvesting agreement that was negotiated between the provincial government and Norway House Cree Nation in 2022. The third objective aimed to identify opportunities for policy learning about Indigenous-led forestry. Indigenous inclusion in policy making could lead to greater learning opportunities and this research demonstrates there are increased opportunities for policy learning to occur in Manitoba’s forest sector. The final objective was to develop recommendations for improving the prospects for Indigenous-led forestry based on accrued evidence and consultation with First Nations communities. While recent strides have been made in Manitoba in advancing Indigenous participation in the forest sector, the wood supply surrounding many First Nations remains underutilized. Moving forward, the success of Indigenous-led forestry initiatives will hinge on increased collaboration with governments and industry, provincial reform of forestry legislation that does not explicitly address Indigenous rights and interests, and funding programs that could address the economic and logistical barriers associated with developing a local forestry initiative. Indigenous-led forestry initiatives that seek to advance the unique goals of individual First Nations remain limited in Manitoba, and this research hopes to help address this gap.