A Collaborative Research Approach to Exploring Strategic Capacity Building in Forest Decision-Making with Eagle Lake First Nation

Abstract

Forest governance across Canada is shifting toward greater recognition of Indigenous rights and new opportunities are opening that increase Indigenous control over resources in their traditional territories. While Indigenous participation is recognized as essential in forest governance, persistent barriers remain in reconciling the history of discrimination against Indigenous peoples and their exclusion from colonial land management structures. This project is part of a partnership initiated by Eagle Lake First Nation (ELFN), with the aim of supporting equitable participation in forest land decision-making. The design and process of this research operated through a collaborative framework to examine the current structural systems and the interpersonal dynamics involved in decision-making to illustrate how capacity strategies can be more holistically positioned to improve regional forest governing dynamics. The findings of this research indicate that without addressing both the institutional and the normative frameworks of decision-making, meaningful shared governance will not be achieved.