ACFN caribou, bison plan proposes no more development in protection zone

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is proposing a co-management approach with the federal and provincial governments to protect the woodland caribou and wood bison in traditional ACFN territory.

However, said Eriel Deranger, spokesperson for ACFN Chief Allan Adam, provincial ministers Diana McQueen (Sustainable Resources Development) and Robin Campbell (Aboriginal Relations) had difficulty with the co-management approach presented by the ACFN although this is not the first time ACFN has proposed such a measure.

“We constantly used ‘co-management’ in our language throughout the meeting but their responses were very thought-out reports and,  ‘You know, we’re very interested in looking at how it fits in with (Lower Athabasca Region Plan) ... as far as co-management we’ll have to really take a look at it,’” said Deranger.

Níh boghodi: We are the stewards of our land was presented in person to the province on July 5.  It was delivered the same day to the federal government.

Níh boghodi is a very different approach to protection of caribou and bison than what either the provincial or federal governments have set up.

“We’re talking about preserving caribou but the way the government is doing it is totally wrong. They do not identify land on which they’re going to do this work, but we do,” said Pat Marcel, ACFN Elder and co-author of the report. He added that when the provincial government developed LARP, the province didn’t take into consideration the land that had been set aside for ACFN in the 1930s.

Along with co-management, the ACFN is proposing the establishment of zones. The protection zone, which would provide the highest level of protection for both the caribou and bison herds with no new industrial development allowed, and a stewardship zone, which is “an area of heightened environmental management and monitoring.”

The protection zone comprises the area north of the Firebag River to the northern border of Alberta. Along with no further industrial development, the ACFN is proposing that the federal and provincial governments provide funding and work with the ACFN to implement a reclamation program.

The stewardship zone comprises the area from the Firebag River and the southern portion of ACFN’s Alberta territory and is “a transitional area between the protection zone and other areas.”

 “No more easy development. They’re not going to just walk in any time, anywheres. Enough of that,” said Marcel.

Deranger said the provincial government has suggested including industry in the discussion of the implementation of a stewardship plan. It’s a suggestion that doesn’t sit well with her.

“It was really alarming to all of us because industry is not a government,” said Deranger.”We believe in negotiation and having discussions with both provincial and federal governments but it seems absolutely unnecessary and kind of a little bit shady that industry needs to be sitting at the table for a co-management and stewardship plan of a traditional territory of the traditional people of the ACFN that is under management of the provincial government and held in trust by the federal government.
There’s no way that industry should be a key stakeholder in that .... They are a third party that has no business at our table.”

Marcel adds that the “way the (government) has been doing things, they want to give approval to all the oil companies and that’s why (they’re saying), ‘Let’s kill off as many caribou.’ That’s what they’re setting out to do.”

Níh boghodi has garnered the support of the Pembina Institute, a policy research leadership organization.

In his blog, Simon Dyer, Pembina policy director, called the ACFN’s work “an impressive land-use planning proposal … that outlines a balanced approach to support conservation of woodland caribou and wood bison while still supporting responsible industrial development on ACFN’s traditional territories.”

The province has directed ACFN to develop an implementation proposal and Deranger said ACFN will work in partnership with the government to this end. No deadline has been set.