natural resource management and indigenous food systems in northern ontario
abstract
the forests and freshwaters of northern ontario are complex
socio-ecological systems that have provided opportunities to
sustain local lives, economies, and cultures since time
immemorial. through nation-to-nation agreements, indigenous
nations ceded land title to the crown through treaties in which
the crown promised them enhanced livelihood. the treaties
articulated the rights of each party to share access to these lands,
and the canadian courts continue to describe the nature and extent
of the rights of each party as well as their duties and
responsibilities. despite great developments in canadian society,
descendants of the indigenous treaty signatories have experienced
disproportionately high rates of unemployment, negative health
outcomes, low education rates, and increased food insecurity. the
legislative framework guiding crown land management in ontario
is strongly rooted in canada’s colonial past; thus the indigenous
land user’s access to foods is largely disassociated from the
perspective of the crown land manager.
this research explores assumptions associated with crown
forest management in ontario based on the purposes of the crown
forest sustainability act, with specific objectives linking
participant action research with independent thesis-action
research. community-based research priorities are reflected in
in each chapter within the context of indigenous food systems and
natural resource management in northern ontario.
the major findings of this research confirm that if meeting
social, economic, and environmental needs of present and future
generations is the purpose of crown forest management, then based
on experiences of indigenous land users, the paradigm in which
natural resource management occurs should be re-evaluated. the
researcher provides recommendations for forest managers,
including shifting the current knowledge paradigm from the
primarily quantitative approach to a more holistic paradigm that
includes qualitative information. to achieve this recommendation,
the need to reform required training for forest management
authorities, to include indigenous worldviews as well as aboriginal and treaty rights. furthermore, in order to meet the
needs of indigenous land users, the natural resource management
paradigm should be expanded to include food system management.
finally, lessons learned from the research project are presented
as the 4rs for rebuilding food sovereignty: reclaim, reorganize,
re-skill, and restore.