Dene K’éh Kusān - Indigenous-Led land stewardship, IPCAs, and recreation
Webinar Summary
The ORCBC’s January webinar focused on outdoor recreation’s role in land use planning processes in British Columbia, through the lens of Dene K’éh Kusān. This is a proposal by the Kaska Dene people to create an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, or IPCA, to preserve the wilderness character of a 40,000 square kilometre area of northern B.C. Their proposal encourages sustainable outdoor recreation activities.
“It’s not about choosing conservation or recreation. Recreation and stewardship belong together.”
The Dena Kayeh Institute is working with the provincial government, on behalf of the Nation, to develop a plan for creating the IPCA, including Kaska Dene stewardship of the area. They are also partnering with the provincial government to update the Land Use Plans surrounding Dene K’éh Kusān.
Watch a recording of the webinar on the ORCBC’s YouTube page.
Webinar guests:
Michelle Miller, Director of Culture and Land Stewardship for Dena Kayeh Institute - mmiller.dki@gmail.com
Bill Lux, Technical Advisor for Dena Kayeh Institute - luxb103@gmail.com
Norm MacLean, Technical Advisor for the Dena Kayeh Institute - nmaclean@lgl.com
Dave Crampton, Technical Advisor for the Dena Kayeh Institute - arborecos@gmail.com
David Muter, Assistant Deputy Minister for Land Use Planning and Cumulative Effects for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship - david.muter@gov.bc.ca
What we learned:
IPCA:
Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas are a newish idea led by First Nations. In partnership with the provincial government, it creates a conservation area that is stewarded by the First Nation.
No existing legal designation for creating an IPCA - each is created by piecing together protections
Each one is unique to the Nation and geography.
Managed by stewardship plan.
Land Use Plan (LUP):
Land Use Planning is a public process to determine what activities are allowed on Crown land within a given area. Modern plans are created in partnership with First Nations with input from everyone with an interest in the area.
~90% province covered by a LUP
Most need updating to reflect:
climate change
modern understandings of things like cumulative effects
First Nations rights
A good example of what a modern LUP looks like is the Gwa’ni Project, a recently completed LUP with the ‘Namgis First Nation on Vancouver Island.
LUPs surrounding the Dene K’éh Kusān IPCA are being modernized in partnership between the provincial government and Dena Kayeh Institute. The update includes zoning to create a buffer around the Dene K’éh Kusān IPCA.
Learn more:
Details on all the ongoing LUP processes in the province can be found at planningpartnership.ca
To get involved in any LUP, go to the bottom of the first page of any project and click on the “Contact the Project Team” or “Sign up for project updates” buttons.
Dene K’éh Kusān Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area
The Kaska Dene are proposing the Dene K’éh Kusān to preserve one of the largest roadless areas in the province. The 40,000 square kilometre area is bigger than Vancouver Island and includes 10 watersheds and an intact predator-prey ecosystem.
“It’s not about removing people from the land. It’s about encouraging sustainable use and more clarity around allowable uses.”
Already the area is used for many outdoor recreation activities including hunting, fishing, hiking, trail riding, paddling, trapping and skiing. Motorized recreation would be allowed, but there are no plans to add more roads or access points to the IPCA.
Co-management
A key component of Dene K’éh Kusān IPCA is co-management, which is based on:
Kaska Laws
Modern science
Lived experience
Joint planning with province
Get involved:
Denakayeh.com has tons of resources to learn more about the Dene K’éh Kusān IPCA, including:
A great video explaining the proposal.
Two Storymaps that break down the geography and a flyover of the region’s features.
An FAQ on the proposal.
Support the Kaska Dene:
There’s still lots of work to do to make Dene K’éh Kusān IPCA a reality. Let the provincial government know what you think of the proposal:
Sign a Statement of Support
Or email David Muter: david.muter@gov.bc.ca
Thanks to the Real Estate Foundation of BC
We want to give a big thank you to the Real Estate Foundation of BC for supporting this webinar.
The Real Estate Foundation of BC funds projects, builds relationships, and shares knowledge to advance sustainable, equitable, and socially just land use and real estate practices across BC. REFBC is committed to supporting reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and working in partnership with First Nations. In November, they published their inaugural Transformative Actions for UNDRIP Advancement progress report. Learn about how they are doing grantmaking, operations, and governance differently at REFBC.ca/TAUA.
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