Native Lands and Wilderness Council
Indigenous groups control hundreds of millions of hectares around the world. Because of this, and because of their ancient traditions of land stewardship, they have a critical role to play in protecting the planet’s wilderness. As a result, WILD has always placed an emphasis on working with indigenous peoples in many countries. For example, we have a long-standing partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai in Montana. We’ve collaborated with them for many years to promote their remarkable wilderness model, the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness.
The 8th WWC featured an expansion of WILD’s work with indigenous peoples. With sponsorship of The Ford Foundation, The Christensen Fund, and others, WILD helped the Salish and Kootenai organize the Native Lands and Wilderness Council (NLWC). The NLWC was chaired by Terry Tanner of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, as well as by grand chief Herb Norwegian of the Deh Cho First Nation in Canada, and Larry Merculieff, deputy director, Alaska Native Science Commission. The NLWC involved representatives from 30 indigenous groups from around the world and reviewed indigenous-led wilderness conservation initiatives on lands owned and managed by indigenous groups. Read more about the Kayapo people in the Southern Amazon.
Protecting Wild Nature on Native Lands is the first publication of this project, and provides a comprehensive set of case studies by Native Peoples from around the world on protecting their traditonal lands. This book and the first NLWC is the first step in developing a network of indigenous groups around the world interested in indigenous-led wilderness conservation initiatives. Currently, WILD is working to help organize a regional North American meeting of the Native Lands and Wilderness Council in Colorado in anticipation of the 9th World Wilderness Congress, with representatives from Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Select Articles on Native Lands and Wilderness:
Contemporary Wilderness and American Indian Cultures >>>
The Wind River Indian Tribes, Don Aragon >>>
