NAFA hopes this catalogue will be used to: (1) increase awareness among Aboriginal students of the possibilities of careers and training in natural resource management; (2) profile institutions and organizations who offer Aboriginal content and support services; and (3) encourage education and training institutions, organizations and companies to address Aboriginal values and issues in their programs.
This concept paper includes a planning and development process as a first phase of establishing an Aboriginal Centre for Research and Development Focussed on the Commercialization of Forest Products and Services. The proposed planning and development process will consist of refinement and validation of the concept, the preparation of a supporting business case, the recruitment of partners, and the identification of funding sources.
The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework for Aboriginal capacity building in the forest sector which will serve as a guide enabling community and regional level strategic planning. The framework provides conceptual approaches to Aboriginal governance and institutional reform and suggests that governmental programs be aligned so as to effectively utilize/maximize available resources enabling focussed initiatives in human resource development relative to the Aboriginal needs in the forest sector.
If Aboriginal communities across the country are to derive economic benefit from the forest resources that surround their communities – for many this is the only major development option – then they need to develop strategies encompassing new and different approaches to forest-based development. Basically, overall there has to be a diversification of the Aboriginal forest-based economy and now is the time to address this matter. This report assesses potential avenues that First Nations could pursue.
The bioeconomy and the protection of ecological/environmental goods and services (EGS), often referred to as the conservation economy, provide significant opportunity for First Nations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Aboriginal human resource professional and skill development needs in these two emerging sub sectors of the forest economy.
This paper is a summary of the National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA) preliminary and exploratory assessment of the market development needs of Aboriginal forest product companies. It is based on the assumption that Aboriginal forest companies can gain a competitive advantage through a differentiation of their forest products. If this is true, then there is a broad need for market development support specific to Aboriginal producers.
This report contributes to the discussion of women and trade agreements by making the connections between First Nations women, forestry and free trade. It includes a literature review divided into the following subject areas: gender and Aboriginal women, traditional roles, the fur trade, Aboriginal title and rights, and free trade and logging in First Nations communities.
Nobody believes that certification will solve all problems confronting Indigenous Peoples as they wrestle with resource uses on their traditional lands. But it presents opportunities. It is not a substitute for the full recognition of treaty and aboriginal rights. Nor is it a convenient opportunity for the provincial or federal governments to continue ignoring the basic human rights and freedoms of Indigenous Nations. It is, however, a means for the forest industry to demonstrate leadership, good citizenship and responsible stewardship.
As Aboriginal communities increase their involvement in the forest sector, the need for development in various areas arises. Trained workforce, access to capital, business experience, research capabilities and heightened institutional capacity are all required, both to undertake management and, in cases, rehabilitation of reserve forests, and to derive benefits from opportunities in the broader forest sector.
The Canadian forest industry is a major employer nationwide, particularly in many rural communities, where forest-related work is the main source of income. Deeper statistical analysis of what has changed in recent years is presented.
