The Innu of Essipit are committed to protecting 30% of their territory by 2030, the international goal set at COP15 in Montreal last year. To achieve this, this First Nation has unveiled a comprehensive protected area and connected habitats project.
The Essipit Innus First Nation council on Wednesday unveiled Essipiunnu-meshkanau, a 1,202 km2 protected area that would increase the protected area on its nitassinan, namely its traditional territory, from 12.6% to 30%.
The proposed reserve, which extends across the north coast and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, would have various interconnected nature reserves. It would also connect to existing protected areas such as the Sainte-Marguerite River Valley Biodiversity Reserve.
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A map of the Essipiunnu-meshkanau initiative (1202 km2) and its connecting areas with other protected areas.
Photo: Provided by the Innu Essipit First Nation Council
With this project we want to protect and connect areas that are important to our community, to species like caribou and to biodiversity in general. Our goal is to build a true conservation network, says Michael Ross, director of territorial development for the Innus Essipit First Nation.
The Innus of Essipit plans to present its proposal to the Quebec Ministry of the Environment in the winter of 2024 and wants the identified sectors to be decommissioned by 2025.
Endangered species
The area attacked by the Innu of Essipit is home to many endangered or threatened species. Part of it belongs in particular to the distribution area of the Pipmuacan caribou, whose herd has been declining significantly for several years.
In addition to the caribou, birds such as the goldeneye and the Bicknell’s thrush are also among the endangered species that live in the Essipiunnu-meshkanau area.
“It is an interesting area because it is plateaus and peaks with ecosystems and species associated with this type of environment,” emphasizes Michael Ross. It’s a pretty rare type of environment here in Quebec.
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The Innu of Essipit want to protect biodiversity, including several endangered species.
Photo: Provided by the Innu Essipit First Nation Council
Self-determination
This protected area project also allows the Innu Essipit First Nation Council to take leadership on their territory. Citing the principle of indigenous self-determination, the First Nation is presenting its project in hopes of working with the Quebec government to establish legal guidelines.
This is a proposal that we are publishing for the first time and it is an example of indigenous management of our own territory, explains Michael Ross.
Mr. Ross agrees that similar projects at Quebec’s Environment Ministry have not yet produced results.
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The Innu of Pessamit, neighbors of the Innus of Essipit, have been trying to protect Pipmuacan Reservoir and its caribou population for years.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Marie-Laure Josselin
The Innu of Pessamit, for example, have been calling for the creation of a protected area at the Pipmuacan reservoir since 2019, but without success. In the Quebec region, the Hurons-Wendat have received a provincial commitment to create a sustainable use protected area, but the project is stalled.
Despite everything, the Innu of Essipit want to carry on. They will soon meet local stakeholders in the hope of reaching consensus on the protected area project. Mr Ross expects he will face difficulties in some areas, particularly on the part of the forestry industry and the communities that are more dependent on it.
In this regard, the Innu are not banned from all logging in the target area, but they are considering designating conservation centers where the rules would be stricter. “We are not closed to any concept at the moment,” says Michael Ross.
Connectivity required
The Innu of Essipit are supported in their project by the Society for Nature and Parks, Quebec Section (SNAP Quebec). For this organization, this means respecting all the biodiversity principles adopted and recognized in the Montreal Agreement concluded at COP15.
One of the main causes of biodiversity loss is territory fragmentation, that is, isolated environments that lose their functions at the ecosystem level. Not only do we need to protect habitats, but we also need to ensure that protected areas are connected, explains Alice de Swarte, senior director at SNAP Quebec.
This organization, which presents itself as a partner to support the Innu, relies on the know-how of the indigenous people to achieve the goals of territorial protection. Indigenous peoples are at the forefront of environmental change, but they are often the ones who can offer solutions and a vision that benefits everyone, emphasizes Ms. de Swarte.
A test for Quebec
SNAP Quebec is putting pressure on the Quebec government to implement commitments made at last year’s COP15. According to Ms de Swarte, the Innu project is at a crucial moment. She sees it as a test of whether Quebec will work hand-in-hand, nation-to-nation. She accuses the province of having delivered little results in this area.
We need to show fairly quickly that they are willing to walk the talk.
For its part, the federal government has agreed to support the Essipit Innu project. A contribution of $1 million was provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada.