B.C.’s smallest First Nation has big plans for a ‘stewardship’ economy

By Rochelle Baker
The National Observer
February 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The West Coast’s smallest First Nation is taking great strides toward the creation of an innovative stewardship economy that puts sustainability and conservation first. The Kwiakah First Nation, led by munmuntle, Chief Steven Dick, consists of 19 members mostly based on Vancouver Island. …The nation intends to revitalize its lands and waters — much of which were badly damaged by logging and other resource industries. …After years of hard work, the nation successfully established the M̓ac̓inuxʷ Special Forest Management Area last May that covers 7,865 hectares of forested land within the Great Bear Rainforest. The Kwiakah SFMA bans logging in favour of regenerative operations aimed at bringing the forest back to its pre-industrial state. The nation also intends to expand its protected forest area to 56,000 hectares by purchasing other logging licences in its traditional territory, Frank Voelker, the nation’s band manager added.

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