Land Needs Guardians Campaign
Take Care of the Land and the Land Takes Care of Us
Across the country, Indigenous Nations are caring for the lands, waters and resources we all depend upon. The Land Needs Guardians campaign celebrates and supports Indigenous leadership in protecting the land.
The Land Needs Guardians campaign will build on the enthusiasm and strength growing up from the land. Indigenous youth, elders and a new generation of leaders are honouring the cultural responsibility for stewardship.
We need this movement now more than ever. Climate change threatens all of us. Animals and plants are disappearing. Freshwaters are becoming contaminated.
Indigenous Peoples are stepping up to the challenge. We have the stewardship expertise, knowledge systems and proven models. We can help our Nations and Canada respond to environmental crises and meet international commitments.
The Land Needs Guardians campaign will generate broad support for and long-term investments in Indigenous Guardians programs and Indigenous stewardship across the country.
Indigenous guardianship is helping create a brighter future, and our success on the land is something everyone can celebrate.
Indigenous Guardians on the Land
Indigenous Guardians manage traditional territories across the country, restoring animals and plants, testing water quality, caring for protected areas and monitoring development. This work benefits Indigenous communities and all Canadians.
Indigenous Guardians programs help create a brighter future: Trained experts caring for the land and water. Good local jobs and a sense of pride and possibility for Indigenous youth. And more clean water, caribou, salmon and songbirds and a more stable climate for all.
Many Indigenous Guardians help establish and manage Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)—places that sustain caribou, salmon, clean water and huge carbon storehouses. Their stewardship is helping make Canada a global leader in conservation.
Indigenous Guardians programs can also help establish economic certainty on the landscape and a more informed context for mutually beneficial development projects to advance. They foster relationships between communities and companies and clarify when development can proceed and under what conditions.
Proven Success
Indigenous leadership in conservation is delivering results on the ground and across the country.
Almost 60 Guardians programs are managing Indigenous lands. Caribou and salmon are better protected and managed, and nations have made more informed decisions about development projects because guardians are on the ground.
Twenty-seven IPCA projects received federal funding as part of Canada’s plan to meet international conservation targets. Guardians will help establish and manage these lands for the benefit of all Canadians.
This work is providing good local jobs, creating a sense of hope and possibility for Indigenous youth and strengthening our communities.
Now Is the Time
Investing in Indigenous stewardship will help address pressing challenges and secure Canada’s conservation leadership on the global stage.
Climate change and loss of biodiversity continue to intensify, but research confirms: Lands managed by Indigenous Peoples are healthier and more vibrant.
Indigenous-led conservation will enable Canada to meet international biodiversity commitments for 2020 and beyond, and the Speech from the Throne pledge to protect 25% of lands by 2025.
It will also help strengthen relationships between Indigenous Nations and Canada.
A Growing Movement
The Land Needs Guardians campaign is organized by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative to draw attention to a growing movement of Indigenous Guardians. Across the country, guardians are stepping forward to take responsibility for managing the land. The success of Indigenous land guardianship is something for everyone to champion.
