Exploring Collaborative Frameworks to Assess and Monitor Conservation Outcomes of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)

Abstract

Within Canada, active strives are being made to achieve Canada’s Target 1 conservation goal. The creation of area-based conservation methods such as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), provide the means to achieve these goals. However, the current screening tools used to identify and monitor OECMs and IPCAs heavily reflect exclusively western science, thereby creating barriers for Indigenous nations. This research uses the collaborative framework of Two- Eyed Seeing to identify potential criteria indicators that are inclusive of Indigenous traditional knowledge to assess the governance systems, cultural and spiritual outcomes, and conservation outcomes of IPCAs. A rapid literature review was conducted to analyze the current screening metrics used by the Canadian government which revealed the potential for criteria for monitoring metrics. This paper highlights the need for place-based conservation management, co-governance models and wellness indicators in current monitoring tools for OECMs and IPCAs.