Indigenous Empowerment Through Co-Management
Land Claims Boards, Wildlife Management, and Environmental Regulation
By: Graham White
Co-management boards, established under comprehensive land claims agreements, have become key players in land-use planning, wildlife management, and environmental regulation across Canada's North. This book provides a detailed account of the operation and effectiveness of these boards while addressing a central question: Have they been successful in ensuring substantial Indigenous involvement in policies affecting the land and wildlife in their traditional territories? While identifying constraints on the role Northern Indigenous peoples play in board processes, Graham White finds that overall they exercise extensive decision-making influence. These findings are provocative and offer valuable insights into our understanding of the importance of land claims boards and the role they play in the evolution of treaty federalism in Canada.
AI Overview
Title: "Indigenous Empowerment through Co-management: Land Claims Boards, Wildlife Management, and Environmental Regulation"
Author: Graham White
Overview:
"Indigenous Empowerment through Co-management" by Graham White is a comprehensive study on the role of co-management boards in land-use planning, wildlife management, and environmental regulation in Canada, particularly in the North. The book examines the effectiveness of these boards in ensuring substantial Indigenous involvement in policies affecting their traditional territories.
Key Themes:
Co-management Boards: The book focuses on the establishment and operation of co-management boards under comprehensive land claims agreements with Indigenous peoples. These boards play a crucial role in land-use planning, wildlife management, and environmental regulation.
Indigenous Involvement: White explores the extent to which Indigenous communities and governments are involved in the decision-making processes of these boards. He also examines the efforts made by these boards to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into their decisions and operations.
Legal Foundations: The book provides an overview of the legal foundations of these co-management boards, including their structure, membership, and decision-making processes. It also discusses their independence from government.
Case Studies: White presents several case studies of important co-management boards to illustrate the complexities and successes of these institutions. These case studies provide detailed insights into how these boards operate in different contexts.
Constraints and Successes: The author identifies constraints on the role of Northern Indigenous peoples in board processes but finds that overall, they exercise extensive decision-making influence. His analysis offers valuable insights into the importance of land claims boards in the evolution of treaty federalism in Canada.
Plot Summary:
The book begins with an overview of co-management boards, examining their legal foundations, structure, and membership. White then delves into the decision-making processes and independence of these boards from government. The author presents case studies of several important boards, focusing on the extent of Indigenous involvement and the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into their decisions.
Critical Reception:
The book has received positive reviews for its balanced, accessible, and honest discussion of complex Crown-Indigenous relations and institutions in Canada. It is praised for being well-researched and clearly communicated by one of Canada’s leading experts on the topic.
Graham White’s book is considered a bold project that tackles the complexities, sensitivities, and diverse contexts head-on. It is recommended as essential reading for scholars and students of relations between Indigenous peoples and the state, co-management systems for natural resources, and Northern government and politics. Members of Northern governments and boards, as well as members of Indigenous governments and organizations, will also find the findings presented in the book valuable.
Overall, "Indigenous Empowerment through Co-management" provides a detailed and insightful analysis of the role of co-management boards in ensuring Indigenous empowerment in land-use planning, wildlife management, and environmental regulation in Canada’s North.