Coastal Guardian Watchmen Programs: A Business Case

Year

As the original stewards of their territories, the Coastal First Nations along British Columbia’s North Coast, Central Coast and Haida Gwaii have been working to establish and grow Guardian Watchmen programs, in some cases for several decades. These programs have come to play an important role in contemporary environmental stewardship. Though they differ from Nation to Nation, the mandate of the programs is to safeguard the Coastal First Nations’ natural and cultural resources, so that these Nations can continue to sustain viable, healthy communities for generations to come. Guardian Watchmen programs require financial support from their Nations and other funding partners. As such, it is reasonable to ask: are they worth it? To help answer this question, a business case analysis of Coastal Guardian Watchmen programs was undertaken. Key findings are included in this report, which examines the net value of program costs and benefits from the perspective of the First Nations that have these programs.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Valuing Coastal Guardian Watchmen Programs: A Business Case. EcoPlan International, The Coastal Steward Network, and TNC Canada. Vancouver, British Columbia. October 4, 2016. Report. (https://coastalfirstnations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Valuing-Coastal-Guardian-Watchmen-Programs-A-Business-Case.pdf, accessed March 24, 2023)

Related Resources

Thumbnail or cover image
We Are the Stewards: Indigenous-Led Fisheries Innovation in North America

This paper offers an overview of the current state of Indigenous-led fisheries management in the United States and Canada. It summarizes major trends in Indigenous-led fisheries innovation in North America and presents common keys and challenges to the success of these efforts. It chronicles three…

Image
How First Nations Guardians Defend British Columbia's Fragile Coast

B.C.'s Central Coast houses the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest intact temperate rainforest left in the world. Attracting environmentalists, tourists, big game hunters, and natural resource developers from all over the globe, this fragile and much-coveted ecosystem has been home to First Nations…

Image
Opinion: How Indian forests sustain economy and environment

There are 18 million acres of forests and woodlands on 305 separate Indian reservations in 24 states in the continental United States. Nationwide, tribal forests support an estimated 19,000 jobs from timber harvest alone and many more from related activities. Local off-reservation economies benefit…