Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present

November 23, 2023 By: Kelsey Kozak

Article: Historic $1B agreement a ‘paradigm shift’ for Indigenous-led conservation in B.C.

Link: https://thenelsondaily.com/2023/11/historic-1b-agreement-a-paradigm-shift-for-indigenous-led-conservation-in-b-c/

Course topic: The Conservationist Movement

The provincial and the federal governments have announced funding for the conservation of British Columbia land and animals to protect habitat and ecosystem conservation, habitat enhancement and restoration and to protect species at risk. While more recently conservation efforts are about fully protecting land and animals to preserve and protect the environment for the future, the original conservationist movement may have been slightly different. Pinchot states that “there has been a fundamental misconception that conservation means nothing but the husbanding of resources for future generations” [1] While the constant of conservation, which I have always thought of as the protection of the entirety of a resource, the definition may be closer to the protection of resources in a non wasteful manner so future generations can continue to also enjoy the natural resources. As Pinchot say the “greatest good, to the greatest number for the longest time”[1].

[1] Pinchot, Gifford. “Chapter Four: Principles of Conservation.” In The Fight for Conservation, 40–52. New York: Doubleday, 1910. http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=amrvg&fileName=vg11//amrvgvg11.db&recNum=43&itemLink=D%3Fconsrvbib%3A2%3A.%2Ftemp%2F~ammem_j7wC%3A%3A&linkText=0

 

Article: ‘Missing link’ land returned to First Nation on Vancouver Island ahead of final treaty agreement

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/missing-link-land-returned-to-a-first-nation-in-b-c-in-advance-of-final-treaty-agreement-1.7030643

Course topic: The Parks Movement

On the southwest corner of Vancouver Island a piece of ‘park’ land has been returned to the Pacheedaht First Nation Community, the nation has not owned the land for many years since the induction and movement of Parks initiatives in Canada. This piece of land was essentially taken away from the indigenous when they were restricted to reserve land and the Pacific Rim national Park was created in 1988, without the consultation of the Pacheedaht First Nation. The Parks movement in Canada from 1890-1920 excluded aboriginal people from the lands in the interest of “game conservation, sport hunting, tourism, and Indian assimilation, to ensure that national parks became uninhabited wilderness” [2]. While the concept of creating uninhabited land to protect resources is one thing, the removal of people (the indigenous), who from the beginning of time, have been there in the first place seems astoundingly wrong. The return of the land to the Pacheedaht First Nation Community is a step in the right direction.

[2] Binnema, Theodore (Ted), and Melanie Niemi. “‘Let the Line Be Drawn Now’: Wilderness, Conservation, and the Exclusion of Aboriginal People from Banff National Park in Canada.” Environmental History, 11, no. 4 (2006): 724–750. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985800.

One Comment

  1. Thank you for your posts, very insightful and thought-provoking. I especially appreciated and focused on conservation and the idea of working towards using the resources in a non-wasteful manner making sure it’s available for future generations. This practice is beautiful while also looking out for our future generations. This will be something I will hold onto!

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