Indigenous Guardians help communities manage traditional territories. They draft land use plans, study wildlife and monitor development projects. They also honour Elders’ knowledge and connect youth to the land. In this short video, Indigenous Guardians talk about their work. They describe what it means for their communities—better conserved lands, stronger ties to culture, healthier people—and for planet.

Edéhzhíe stretches across over 14,240 square kilometres of boreal forest, headwater lakes and wetlands west of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Elders call it the breadbasket of the Dehcho First Nations, because the caribou, moose, fish and waterfowl have sustained people for millennia.