Summary:
This CoP aims to support SȾÁUTW̱ First Nation in ongoing work to establish long-term, socio-ecologically informed stewardship plans and actions within their QEN,T Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA), an area of focused effort toward (re)instating SȾÁUTW̱’s primary role in conserving their traditional homelands and waters.
Goal and Approach:
This CoP supports SȾÁUTW̱ First Nation’s ongoing efforts to establish the QEN,T IPCA, encompassing 150 km² of SȾÁUTW̱’s homelands and waters within the Salish Sea, through complementary and interdisciplinary partnerships. It is centered on three objectives: (1) co-creating a deeper understanding of community-held knowledge through interviews and relationship-based planning to inform adaptive, culturally grounded QEN,T stewardship protocols; (2) developing socio-ecological indicators of health and spatial stewardship plans for Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) by bringing together SȾÁUTW̱ Laws, harvester knowledge, and ecological monitoring; and (3) building long-term SȾÁUTW̱ leadership capacity through a fisheries internship program that enables youth to learn about marine stewardship from both Indigenous and Western perspectives. Together, these efforts support locally led marine stewardship that advances climate and social justice in SȾÁUTW̱’s waters and beyond. The knowledge, tools, and approaches developed through the CoP will also inform other Nations seeking to advance Indigenous-led marine governance through Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).
