Indigenous-led conservation is not a threat

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2025 (301 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As an Anishinaabe-Kwe scientist, water protector, and a guardian of Indigenous knowledge, I’ve spent my life working to protect the lands and waters that sustain all of us. I’ve also spent a lifetime watching Indigenous peoples be blamed for environmental destruction that we did not cause, while colonial systems continue to ignore and devalue the knowledge we’ve carried for generations.

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation (MWF) has launched a campaign to oppose Indigenous-led conservation, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Manitoba’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of the province’s lands and waters by 2030 (30×30).

Their arguments rely on fearmongering and misinformation. Without basis, they claim 30×30 is about taking land away from hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts when in reality, it’s about protecting and restoring the lands and waters that have in many cases been overexploited, degraded, and mismanaged under colonial control. Non-Indigenous people need not worry — existing mechanisms ensure they will have their say in the process, just as they always have.

What’s changing is that Indigenous voices are finally being heard and respected in conservation decisions, as they should be.

In their efforts to discredit Indigenous-led conservation, MWF has also turned their attacks toward respected environmental organizations that recognize the importance of IPCAs. Groups like Ducks Unlimited, Wilderness Committee, CPAWS and the Nature Conservancy of Canada support 30×30 and Indigenous leadership in conservation because they understand that protecting biodiversity and restoring ecosystems is essential for everyone, including hunters and anglers.

Instead of standing alongside these organizations to ensure the protection of lands and waters for future generations, MWF has chosen to spread misinformation and vilify those who support Indigenous stewardship and protecting nature. This divisive approach only harms the ecosystems the MWF claims to care about.

The MWF has also taken issue with the fact that all of Manitoba’s crown lands are Treaty lands, issuing a misrepresentation of what treaties actually represent. Treaties were never about surrendering land — they are agreements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments to share and protect it. By dismissing this reality, MWF reveals a deeper disregard for Indigenous rights and responsibilities as stewards of the land. The same Treaty agreements that allowed settlers to make a home here also recognized Indigenous rights to these lands and waters — rights that have yet to be fully honoured. The MWF is clearly choosing to stand in the way of reconciliation with Canada and Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous communities must continue to watch as sacred places are being destroyed, waterways polluted, and species pushed to the brink — not by us, but by industries and policies that have prioritized profit over balance. Now, as Indigenous Nations step up to lead inclusive conservation initiatives, organizations like MWF suddenly cry oppression? That’s not a right — it’s a privilege. MWF itself has led conservation initiatives, protecting lands and habitat, so why shouldn’t Indigenous Nations have the same opportunity to take the lead?

Indigenous-led conservation is about inclusion; it’s about responsibility and ensuring that the lands and waters we all rely on are protected for future generations.

The MWF seems to have evolved from being a wildlife conservation organization to one that fails to acknowledge the most critical factor in wildlife conservation — habitat protection. Without protecting fully-functioning ecosystems, there is no sustainable future for hunting, fishing or biodiversity. Indigenous peoples have always understood this. Our governance systems successfully sustained animal nations like bison, sturgeon, and caribou for thousands of years. We are not newcomers to conservation; we are the original conservationists.

And yet, Indigenous science continues to be treated as secondary, something that must be “integrated” into Western methods rather than being recognized as a legitimate and equal knowledge system. Why is it always Indigenous knowledge that must be “bridged” with Western science? Why is it never the other way around? The refusal to acknowledge Indigenous science as a standalone field is just another way of maintaining colonial control over conservation. I’ve scoured MWF’s materials and they never even mention Indigenous Knowledge or Indigenous Science.

Indigenous-led conservation is not a threat to anyone — unless your idea of conservation is about maintaining access to exploit rather than protect. 30×30 isn’t about exclusion; it’s about responsibility. It’s about making sure there are still healthy lands, waters, and wildlife for future generations. Instead of resisting this shift, organizations like MWF should be listening and learning from the people who have always understood what it means to live in balance with the land.

True conservation means letting go of outdated colonial models and centering the leadership on those who have protected these lands long before environmental organizations even existed. It’s time for the MWF to stop spreading misinformation, stop weaponizing fear, and start working toward real solutions. The future of conservation includes Indigenous leadership. When the land thrives, we all thrive.

Taylor Galvin is a scientist and director of the Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve.