RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
by Larry Innes, photos by Garth Lenz

Doubts about the global significance of Canada’s boreal forest have been dispelled by the recent reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In a world where deforestation contributes approximately a quarter of global CO2 emissions, the value of intact forests can no longer be ignored. 

As Canadians, we also have an unprecedented opportunity to become global leaders through wise stewardship of our boreal forest, which is not only one of the largest intact ecosystems on the planet, but also the single largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon. Over 67 million tonnes of carbon is contained in boreal trees, soils, and wetlands. The boreal region plays a vital role in both sequestering and storing massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

From a biodiversity standpoint, Canada’s boreal forest is also home to internationally significant populations of birds and wildlife. It filters and stores more fresh water in wetlands and lakes than anywhere else in the world. Culturally, the boreal continues to sustain hundreds of aboriginal communities, and in economic terms, it generates billions of dollars in natural resources from timber, energy, and mineral resources.
The opportunity is clearly before us. However, to date, we have collectively failed to meet the challenge of managing a large-scale, largely-intact ecosystem in a truly sustainable way. 

As a rich, developed country, Canada contributes disproportionately to the problem. We rank as the third worst emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) among the 30 member countries of the OECD, and our rate of deforestation is among the highest in the world. 

One of the key obstacles to sustainability is that resource allocation and land use decisions continue to be made in silos. Federal and provincial agencies are divided on both jurisdictional and sectoral lines, resulting in a complex maze of resource tenures and regulations where decisions are made for individual resource sectors or projects. Little consideration is given on how one sector affects another, or more importantly, how it affects the environment as a whole. Compounding this problem is the fact that decisions are often made in a top-down fashion, with little or no consultation with local communities that may be affected. Nowhere is this more apparent than in resource-rich Alberta, where a laissez-faire approach is resulting in serious ecological, cultural, and economic challenges.

There are signs of change. Since 2003, an alliance of companies, First Nations, and environmental organizations has been working to advance a suite of solutions known as the Boreal Conservation Framework. Endorsed by a diverse collection of timber and paper product companies, outdoor outfitters, financial companies, publishers, and, most recently, by more than 1,500 leading scientists from around the world, the Framework seeks to achieve a balance between the imperatives of conservation, the needs for sustainable resource development, and the rights of aboriginal peoples.

One of the most important mechanisms for achieving this balance on the ground is land use planning. Land use planning as a means to ensure sustainability is not new - it was a critical recommendation of the landmark Berger Inquiry in the mid 1970s. It is a requirement under many modern land claims agreements, and it has emerged internationally as a key element for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

The rationale for land use planning is simple: Ecosystems, communities, and economies are, by their very definition, complex and interconnected. But there are also clear dependencies - economies exist to support human communities, which are in turn supported by natural ecosystems. These fundamental interdependencies, reflected in both conservation science and traditional knowledge, mean that our first priority should be to determine what we need to protect in order to sustain ecosystems, which in turn sustain us. Sustainable resource development can then occur within those limits.

This fundamental insight is often lost in the competitive, fragmented approaches to land tenure and resource allocations, which dominate policy and decision-making. Apart from environmental concerns, decisions made in silos require complex dispute-resolution mechanisms to solve competing claims between various industries, and often lead to conflicts with other stakeholders. Most significantly, the absence of prior consultation forces First Nations into the courts, creating further uncertainty in sectors like mineral exploration, which are already subject to significant risks.

One of the best examples of how the goals of the Framework can be achieved is the Dehcho Land Use Plan released in May 2006. Under the Dehcho Plan (which has yet to be approved by the territorial and federal governments) approximately half of the Dehcho region (located in the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories) would be set aside for conservation and traditional uses. Special management zones where resource activities would be constrained by regulations designed to maintain wildlife habitat and other values would provide additional protection while permitting a range of industrial uses. General management areas with few additional restrictions would make up the balance. Even with such large protected areas, the Plan ensures that 88% of the forestry potential, 64% of the oil and gas potential, and 69% of the agricultural potential are still available for development.

The Dehcho Land Use Plan is a brilliant model, but it is by no means the only way to meet the challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. In a region as diverse as Canada’s boreal, solutions will vary depending on national and regional objectives, ecological and economic priorities, and the mix of existing industrial allocations, land tenures as well as the status of First Nations and treaty rights. 

Canadians are counting on our governments to meet the environmental and social challenges of the 21st century. We believe that this can and must be done, but it means that they must open the door and allow the vision and wisdom of First Nations, the innovation and stewardship of the resource sector, and the knowledge and passion of conservationists to help find the way. 

Larry Innes is Executive Director of the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI), an independent organization that brings together diverse partners to create new solutions for boreal conservation, and acts as a catalyst by supporting a variety of on-the-ground efforts across the boreal by governments, industry, First Nations, conservation groups, major retailers, financial institutions, and scientists. Larry can be reached at 613-230-4739.

Dehcho Land Use Plan 
The final draft of the Dehcho Land Use Plan was released in June 2006 by the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee, comprised of representatives of the Dehcho First Nation, the government of Canada and the government of the Northwest Territories. The area covered by the plan includes all the Dehcho territory except the Nahanni National Park Reserve and existing community boundaries. The plan has been approved by the Dehcho Assembly, but has not yet been adopted by either Canada or the government of the Northwest Territories.
As mandated under the Dehcho Process, the purpose of the plan is “to promote the social, cultural, and economic well-being of the residents and communities in the Dehcho territory, having regard to the interests of all Canadians”. The draft plan reflects a balanced approach between development opportunities and social and ecological constraints. It is unique in taking into consideration the principles of respect for the lands, as understood and explained by the Dehcho Elders, and the principles of sustainable development in a modern context to provide for the conservation, development, and utilization of the land, waters, and other resources in the Dehcho territory.
An entire section of the draft plan is dedicated to water monitoring and management, with the recognition that “water is the most important resource” to the Dehcho Dene, who are also working with other Aboriginal communities in the NWT, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, and Alaska to protect water quality in the Mackenzie watershed, which is under stress from energy developments, including the Alberta tar sands. The Dehcho are proponents of the Keepers of the Water Declaration, which recognizes water as both a human and an aboriginal right, and asserts that aboriginal people have responsibilities to protect water quality as well as to guide responsible development within their traditional territories.

For more information visit www.dehcholands.org.