National Indigenous History Month

As a national conservation charity, CPAWS believes it is our organization’s responsibility to educate our staff about the history and current lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada in an effort to strengthen relationships with Indigenous partners and the communities who are involved in conservation work.

As traditional stewards of land and water with knowledge gleaned over centuries, Indigenous-led conservation is critical to protecting nature for future generations. This traditional knowledge is the current foundation for many of the most effective protected areas in Canada.

We strongly encourage our supporters to join us in our learning about the history of Indigenous Peoples.

If you are looking for resources to learn more about Indigenous History, here are a few we recommend you check out:

• Earlier this year, our staff engaged in group study of the Home on Native Land course. We recommend this as an excellent resource to anyone who wants to learn more about Indigenous history and law. FREE!
• Land(ing) Back podcast, a powerful five-part podcast series featuring inspiring conversations with Indigenous youth striving to change their relationships with non-Indigenous youth through conversations on climate justice, land protection, cultural resurgence, and decolonization
• Indigenous Canada course, offered by the University of Alberta. FREE!
• Visit the website of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report and subsequent calls to action
• Start reading the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada

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Conservation Reports

Read our 2023 report that looks at progress made by federal, provincial and territorial governments over the past two years towards reaching the target of protecting at least 30% of land and ocean by 2030.

Read our Roadmap to 2030: Delivering on Canada’s Land and Ocean Protection Targets. Visit our Parks and Protected Areas webpage for past reports.

Read our 2021 Ocean Report that investigates how well-protected and well-managed Canada’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) really are. Visit our Ocean webpage for past reports and other ocean-related publications.

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Impact Reports

CPAWS releases its annual Impact Report in the Fall to share financial and conservation successes achieved over our fiscal year (April 1-March 31). Visit our Successes page to see how CPAWS has progressed conservation across Canada over the years.  

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Other Resources

CPAWS is a member of the Green Budget Coalition (GBC) – a group of 21 leading environmental organizations in Canada that analyze environmental sustainability issues and provide fiscal and budgetary recommendations to the federal government each year. Read the GBC’s recommendations for the upcoming federal budget, including recommendations for Indigenous-led conservation, and for major investments in protected areas to help achieve Canada’s 30×30 target.