Reconciliation in action Indigenous-led Biosphere Reserves: nothing to fear Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve, by MuellerF By David Livingstone, Principal, Holarctic Environmental Consulting Ltd. With the support of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO March 2017 Introduction Of the nearly 700 international biosphere reserves, only one – the recently designated Tsá Tué International Biosphere Reserve – has been led by Indigenous peoples through all stages of its development and subsequent implementation. International biosphere reserves “are intended to promote solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. Biosphere reserves are ‘Science for Sustainability support sites’ – special places for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity1.” It is time to make a concerted effort to encourage and support more Indigenous-led biosphere reserves, given ongoing advances in the recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples, including the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the 2016 Lima Declaration on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme and its World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and UNESCO’s developing policy on engaging with Indigenous peoples. The recent commitments of Canada’s federal government to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples following the report and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission provides additional national impetus. The current absence of Indigenous-led biosphere reserves is a result of many factors, not least of which is concern related to Indigenous rights, and more specifically that Indigenous-led biosphere reserves may be seen to de facto recognize or enhance recognition of Indigenous rights in regions where that is politically “challenging”. An examination of the Tsá Tué experience and implications may be helpful in assuaging many of the concerns and obstacles impeding the establishment of Indigenous-led biosphere reserves. At a minimum, it should encourage the meaningful engagement of Indigenous peoples in the governance and activities of current or future biosphere reserves. The Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve The Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve includes Great Bear Lake and that portion of its watershed within the l n District of the Sahtu Settlement Region, in the central Northwest Territories of Canada (figure 1). The total area of the Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve is about 93,313 km² or 9.3 million hectares, making it the largest in North America. The only community on Great Bear Lake is the small Dene community of l n , located near the mouth of the Great Bear River, which flows out of Great Bear Lake into the Mackenzie River. l n has a population of about 600, the great majority of whom are Sahtuto’ine ene, the “Bear Lake People”. Great Bear Lake and the Great Bear Lake watershed are the homeland of the Sahtuto’ine and part of an intact wilderness forming the foundation of Sahtuto’ine cosmology, history and traditional law, of the transmission of the culture from the elders to the younger generation, and of l n ’s renewable resource economy. l n is a traditional irst Nation community in many ways. s such, l n respects its elders and honors its spiritual leaders, especially Louis Ayah (1857-1940), known as Eht’se Ayah. Ayah was a prophet and among many of his prophecies was the prediction that Great Bear Lake would be the last source of clean water on the planet and the lake would become crowded with boats. 1 http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves 2 Figure 1: Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve This prophecy, coupled with l n ’s deeply troubling experience with uranium mining at Port Radium in eastern Great Bear Lake has heightened the commitment within l n , particularly among elders and community leaders, for the protection of the ecological and cultural integrity of the lake and its ecosystems. 3 This stewardship is deeply rooted in the cosmology and spirituality of the Sahtuto’ine and framed by the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1993), the Great Bear Lake Watershed Management Plan (2006), the Sahtu Land Use Plan (2013) and the l n Final Self-Government greement (2014). These documents were developed in close consultation with the Sahtuto’ine and in the case of the Great Bear Lake Watershed Management Plan and the aspects of the Sahtu Land Use Plan affecting Great Bear Lake and the Great Bear Lake watershed, led by the Sahtuto’ine. The l n Final Self-Government Agreement was negotiated between l n and the federal and territorial governments. Sahtuto’ine Spirituality It is impossible to fully appreciate the importance of Great Bear Lake and its watershed to the Sahtuto’ine without an understanding of Sahtuto’ine spirituality. The following extracts from ibbie Tatti’s Master’s Thesis (“The Wind Waits For No One N hts’ ene s en or h le t’e Spirituality in a Saht got’ n Perspective”) are instructive “From a Dene or Sahtúgot’ı̨nę perspective spirituality is appreciating all the elements of the world and seeing in each of them a living being. The idea of bets’ı̨nę ́ or living spirit with respect to the animals, the birds and the fish is relatively easy for people to grasp. You can through observation describe and understand their nature and their role, and you can interact with them. However, the spirituality I am talking about goes beyond these organisms to plants, trees and to more inanimate objects. For us the thunder, the lightning, the water and the rocks are each yǝ ́ dı ́ ı, living beings, with distinctive characteristics and possessing a living force.” (pg 17) “Chief George Kodakin said that the spiritual significance of Sahtú must never be underestimated, recognizing that it holds Tudzǝ,́ the heart of all the water on the earth.” (pg 37) “The fact that the animals could leave us, leave edırı nęnę, forever, reminds us of how dependent we are on the animals and how we must respect their bets’ı̨nę, obey our laws and be effective stewards of the land in order for us to retain the essence of being Sahtúgot’ı̨nę. Our worldview, our culture, our spirituality, even the richness of our language are tied directly to our traditional lands and the animals.” (pg 42) From the Great Bear Lake Watershed Management Plan: “The elders of Déline have passed down a story through many generations. In times past, their spiritual teachers were often “mystically tied” to different parts of the environment: some to the caribou, some the wolf, some the northern lights and some the willow. Kayé Daoyé was one such person. He lived all around Great Bear Lake or “Sahtu” in the Slavey language, but made his home primarily in Edaiila (the Caribou Point area), on the northeast shores of the Lake. Kayé Daoyé was mystically tied to the loche. One day, after setting four hooks, he found one of them missing. This disturbed him — in those days hooks were rare and very valuable — and that night he traveled in his dreams with the loche in search of the fish that had taken his hook. As he traveled through the centre of GBL, he became aware of a great power in the lake — the heart of the lake or the “water heart”. Contemplating this heart, he became aware that it is connected to all beings — the land, the sky, plants, other creatures, people — and that it helps sustain the entire watershed of Great Bear Lake.” 4 The Designation Process for the Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve In 2013 preliminary discussions were held among l n representatives to assess the level of interest in the establishment of a biosphere reserve. Initial interest became support in principle. As discussions progressed, there emerged a strong commitment by elders and key community agencies to move forward with the nomination process. The l n Renewable Resources Council, l n Land Corporation, l n Band Council, l n Charter Community, and the lįn Got’įn Government Negotiating Team all supported the nomination. The quotes that follow summarize the reasons behind this support: Elder and leader Morris Neyelle: “The lake gives life to the universal: grass, insects, willow, everything.” (in Kujawinski, 2017) Elder Francis Tatti: “For the land that gives us life, for the land that loves us, for the land we must be caregivers for, for the land that keeps us wandering to share in its beauty and delight”. (emphasis added) (in Tatti, 2015) The Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve Steering Committee was formed in 2014, and a part-time coordinator was hired. Numerous meetings and discussions were held to develop the nomination form and to broaden and deepen community understanding of the proposal and community support. Open community meetings were held; radio and other information sessions were initiated including school visits. Partnerships with government and non-government agencies were developed. These latter agencies included the Sahtu Land Use Planning Board, Sahtu Secretariat Inc., Sahtu Renewable Resources Board, Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, Environment and Natural Resources, GNWT, several foundations, ENGOs, and other parties. Concurrently, linkages were developed with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association, which were instrumental in introducing l n representatives to the family of Canadian biosphere reserves, and supporting and advocating the nomination. In March 2016, UNESCO approved the designation of the Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve, the first and currently the only Indigenous-led biosphere reserve in the international network. Implications of the Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve and Key Lessons UNESCO’s designation of the Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve is based on the principles of sustainable development, underscored by Sahtuto’ine spirituality and framed by The Sahtu Dene and Metis Final Agreement, Great Bear Lake Watershed Management Plan, Sahtu Land Use Plan and l n Got’ n Self- Government Agreement.