The stories of a conservation project in Northwest Saskatchewan will soon be shared with a wider audience.
The Sakitawak IPCA (Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas) announced Thursday afternoon they have entered a partnership with Nature Canada to get their stories out. The IPCA Specifically wants to share the work on the conservation efforts around the N-14 Fur Block in the Northwest, which the IPCA says is a critical habitat for threatened Caribou, freshwater fish, and pine forests.
The Sakitawak IPCA is one of four Métis-led conservation projects funded by the Government of Canada to create Indigenous-led protected areas. If protected, it will be the third-largest IPCA in Canada, covering 22,000 square kilometres.
“The Sakitawak IPCA is honoured that Nature Canada has responded to our request to partner as we work towards protecting the N14 Fur Block.,” said Mayor of Ile a la Crosse, Duane Favel and a Sakitawak IPCA board member. “These partnerships are key to the long-term success of our work. We cannot do this alone. The stature and history of Nature Canada will allow us to communicate our goals to a larger audience in Canada whose interests in conservation are common and global in intent.”
The partnership will allow Nature Canada to share the conservation efforts put forward by the Sakitawak IPCA with the wider conservation community in Canada.
“We’re extremely proud to be launching an awareness campaign led by the team working on the Sakitawak IPCA project in Île-à-la-Crosse,” says Graham Saul, Executive Director of Nature Canada. “ This opportunity to work with and learn from the Métis of Sakitawak is coming at a critical time when protecting the Boreal is key to combating the twin crises of species loss and climate change.”
Nature Canada says this partnership and others like it stem from the organization’s commitment to decolonize its approach to conservation and put Indigenous-led projects at the centre.
(PHOTO: A map of the N14 Fur Block. Photo courtesy of sakitawakconservation.org)