manag e m e nt
S pecial
Pa c k a g e
T r i ba l w i l d l i f e
The Tribal Path Forward
Confronting Climate Change and Conserving Nature By Garrit Voggesser, Ph.D.
I Courtesy of Garrit Voggesser
n April of this year, Kimberly Teehee, a member of the Cherokee Nation and senior policy advisor for the White House on Native American affairs, addressed the ninth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held in New York City. “Climate change adaptation is a priority,” she said, “and tribal communities are on the front line of this challenge…. The original stewards of this continent can teach us essential lessons regarding proper and effective stewardship” (Teehee 2010).
Garrit Voggesser, Ph.D., is Manager of the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Lands Conservation Program.
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Teehee’s remarks reflect a sea change in the understanding of federal employees, policymakers, scientists, and land managers about the fundamental, historical role Indian tribes have played in managing and protecting the natural world. That role is taking center stage as wildlife managers and conservationists seek answers about how to manage and mitigate the impacts of warming climates. As Quinualt Nation Chairwoman Fawn Sharp has said, “The science community is noticing that tribal restoration strategies are best practice[s] for resource management and a balanced ecosystem” (Kisner 2009). This newfound respect and recognition can translate into more successful approaches for natural resource adaptation to climate change.
The Wildlife Professional, Winter 2010
Traditional Stewards Bear Witness
For thousands of years, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Nations have had an intimate relationship with the natural world, relying on plants and animals for subsistence, medicinal, and spiritual purposes. They see first-hand how global warming is harming North America’s land, water, and wildlife, and they are among the first to experience and document the impacts by comparing their historical knowledge of natural cycles with what they see today. This knowledge of ecosystems, weather patterns, and wildlife movements can help establish an ecological baseline—an assessment of tribal homelands prior to white contact—which will help shape current and future management actions to conserve wildlife and wild places. The stakes could not be higher. Addressing a congressional committee in 2007, Mike Williams, a Yupiaq from Alaska, said: “Global warming is undermining the social identity and cultural survival of Alaska Natives and American Indians. As we watch our ice melt, our forests burn, our villages sink, our sea level rise, our temperatures increase, our oceans acidify, and our animals become diseased and dislocated, we recognize that our health and our traditional ways of life are at risk” (Williams 2007).
© The Wildlife Society