- Almost 80 per cent of Aboriginal peoples in Canada live in forested regions, and their participation in forestry is growing steadily.
- Aboriginal and treaty rights are protected in Canada's constitution, and this is reflected in forest policy and forest management practices.
- Canada's forests have long played an integral role in meeting the cultural, spiritual and material needs of Aboriginal peoples.
- Encouraging more Aboriginal involvement in the forest sector benefits Canada's sustainable forest management and helps to build strong, successful Aboriginal communities.
More than 800 Aboriginal communities are located in Canada's productive forests, and about 1.4 million hectares of reserve lands are suitable for resource uses such as forestry, hunting, trapping, fishing and supporting herbs and medical plants. Aboriginal involvement in the land is being formally acknowledged through processes that include land claims, treaty making and treaty land entitlement. As a result, there is a larger land base controlled by Aboriginal communities.
Aboriginal peoples play an important role in conserving the country's biological diversity, and Aboriginal traditional knowledge has been integrated into forest management approaches. Canada supports Aboriginal capacity building and participation through activities such as the First Nations Forestry Program. Thousands of Aboriginal workers have been trained in this program, providing a permanent transfer of skills and knowledge. |