https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-broughton-indigenous-protected-area/
"In a conference room at an oceanfront hotel in Sooke, B.C., surrounded by
Hereditary Chiefs wearing regalia of white ermine headdresses, red and black
button blankets and cedar bark garlands, Rick Johnson picked up a pen to sign a
declaration.
The elected and Hereditary Chief of the Ḵwiḵwa̱sut’inux̱w Ha̱xwa’mis First
Nation, whose territory lies several hundred kilometres north of Vancouver, on
B.C.’s remote mid-coast, had travelled to Sooke for a three-day “estuary to
old-growth” gathering of 20 First Nations. As more than 80 people met on Nov.
16 to discuss old-growth logging deferrals and Indigenous stewardship, Johnson
and his nation seized the moment to demonstrate their authority over what
happens on their territory, declaring Hada and Kakweikan (Bond Sound and
Thompson Sound) an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA).
The unilateral declaration invokes the nation’s inherent rights and title,
jurisdiction and decision-making authority to protect more than 41,000 hectares
of its land and waters, “from mountaintop to seafloor,” that are a breadbasket
for its people.
For far too long, the Chief said in an interview, the nation’s territory has
been impacted by overfishing — and the declaration notes the depletion of
cherished and culturally important species such as eulachon, littleneck clams,
Pacific herring and Pacific salmon.
“It’s like we’re invisible,” Johnson told the gathering. “We watch industry
pass by on a daily basis [while] we suffer with Third World conditions in our
village,” Gwa’yasdams, on Gilford Island in the Broughton Archipelago.
Drinking-water quality and housing are below Canadian standards, the Chief
pointed out. “And we don’t profit a penny from the resources that are extracted
from our lands.”
These are the conditions, Johnson said, that led the nation to declare the
protected area “and reclaim what is already ours.” The protected area includes
salmon-bearing watersheds, traditional villages and other sites representative
of the nation’s rich cultural heritage."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-child-nutrition-human-rights-bhutan-ocean-png/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
