Sharing Land Stewardship in Alberta: The Role of Aboriginal Peoples

Abstract

This paper explores one possibility of revitalizing the relationship between First Nations, the people of Alberta and the lands and waters of Alberta that we all care for. To further this we propose involving First Nations in the joint management of their traditional lands and resources under formal Joint Stewardship Agreements. We introduce the concept of co-management, which is a means of decentralizing decision-making over land use and resource management from government to local communities. We provide a brief overview of the literature on co-management.