"Aboriginal peoples are increasingly being invited to participate in sustainable forest management processes as a means of including their knowledge, values, and concerns. However, it is justifiable to ask if this participation does lead to changes in forest management plans and to outcomes in management activities. We review four forest management plans over 10 years (1999–2009) in Labrador, Canada, to determine if increasing involvement by the Aboriginal Innu Nation has led to changes in plan content.
"Aboriginal peoples in Canada present a special case of citizen involvement in forest governance, with rights and status that go beyond those of other stakeholders and individuals. Increasingly, participation processes aimed specifically at Aboriginal representatives are being used to encourage their involvement in forest management. This article asks what would be the characteristics of a distinct process that could respond to Aboriginal rights, needs and expectations.
"In this report we seek to clarify some of the uncertainty and questions around land use studies and to consider how information about Aboriginal use and occupancy of lands can be better integrated into forest management. The report is based on a review of nearly 100 studies and documented experiences of Aboriginal land use studies, supported by workshops bringing together researchers and practitioners representing Aboriginal peoples, forestry companies, and governments."
"The Canadian government and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council sponsored a forest extraction corporation in eastern Nicaragua that restructured 16 Miskitu and Mayangna villages and transformed local human-environment interactions. The Central American aid project demonstrated paternalistic and interventionist tendencies and exposed biases in inter-Indigenous aid that rendered it inseparable from conventional aid.
"Aboriginal economic development” differs from other forms of development by emphasizing aboriginal values and community involvement. Joint ventures, while providing business advantages, may not be able to contribute to aboriginal economic development. This paper examines two joint ventures in the interior of British Columbia to examine their ability or inability to contribute the extra dimensions of development desired by aboriginal communities.
"In this paper, we examine the major issues affecting First Nations forestry in Canada using comparison of means tests and multivariate analysis. This paper will be of interest for those working in the economic development field, particularly those who are on the front-line of such changes and challenges. In some cases, economic development officers participated in the survey that we conducted. The results will present a snapshot of the larger issues affecting the current state of First Nations forestry."
