May 14, 2024

Indigenous Land Guardians: Caring for land, water, wildlife, and culture

by Youth Advisory Council (2023-2024 Cohort)

What are Land Guardians?

Land Guardians are Indigenous leaders who are crucial in caring for and protecting traditional land, water, and culture. They’re trained experts who work for their communities, using Indigenous knowledge to maintain and protect land and waters. Land Guardians (also known as watchers, rangers, and observers) keep an eye on harmful threats to the land and culture – such as poaching, illegal fishing, trophy hunting, high-impact tourism, climate change, and over-harvesting. Land Guardian programs expanded from 30 in 2016 to more than 160 in 2023.

How do Land Guardians protect the land and culture?

Land Guardians are trained experts who learn about the protected areas from Elders, knowledge keepers, and the community. They work on the ground, connecting with the land, water, and wildlife, usually in Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs). Preserving important plant species used for things like traditional medicine is a crucial part of cultural preservation. United Nations’ 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that areas with Land Guardians tend to be healthier and more vibrant than others.

How can we support Land Guardians?

Advocacy: Raise awareness about the importance of Land Guardians and advocate for increased funding and support for their programs.
Financial support: Donate to organizations and initiatives directly supporting Indigenous Guardian programs.
Education: Learn about Indigenous stewardship practices and the unique challenges faced by Land Guardians. Share this knowledge with your community to strengthen the support for Land Guardian Programs.
Sign the Land Needs Guardians Statement: Use your voice to tell the government of Canada to invest in Land Guardian programs across the country and support Indigenous-led efforts to protect some of the largest IPCAs in the world. Sign it here.