Community-Based Land Use Planning:
Dedicated Protected Areas
Vision & Goals
In the Whitefeather Forest Initiative our goal of “Keeping the Land” comes first. In order to sustain the cultural and ecological integrity planning area, our planning process involves identifying areas where commercial forestry, mineral sector and hydro-electric activities will be excluded before commercial forestry is approved.
Our Vision
• An innovative and internationally acclaimed network of protected areas in the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area that celebrates and sustains the northern boreal forest and indigenous cultural landscape and the desire of Pikangikum people to protect it and which also contributes to a larger network of protected areas showcasing the First Nation’s and Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage.
Our Objectives
• respect and support the relationship of Pikangikum people to the lands and resources, past, present and future that will allow for the Planning Area to continue as a dynamic indigenous cultural landscape.
• emphasize remoteness and provide for experiences of tranquility, quietude, closeness and harmony with the land in order to affirm and celebrate the international significance of the Planning Area as a cultural landscape and a part of the northern boreal forest
• play a fundamental role in the conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological integrity in the Planning Area and at a broader scale.
• be characterized by free-flowing waterways, clean water, and healthy intact watersheds.
• be dedicated to past, present and future generations for the enjoyment and appreciation of boreal landscapes and cultural heritage, and in particular the indigenous culture of Pikangikum people.
• be identified to contribute to the completion of Ontario’s Parks and Protected Areas System.
World Heritage Site Initiative
World Heritage Sites are places recognized by the United Nations as possessing "outstanding universal value". Our First Nation, Pikangikum, is located within what is described as the largest intact forest in the Americas. This intact forest is not a wilderness, but a cultural landscape that has been modified, influenced, and given special meaning by our people since time immemorial – a place that we believe to be of “outstanding universal value”. We are seeking World Heritage Site designation for lands within the Whitefeather Forest Planning Area to complement our efforts to protect our ancestral lands and resources, and demonstrate the value of First Nation traditional knowledge in Keeping the Land.
In 2001, we initiated discussion with our neighbours - Pauingassi First Nation, Little Grand Rapids First Nation and Poplar River First Nation - to consider a cooperative strategy for protecting the lands linking our respective traditional territories. Our discussions resulted in our four First Nations signing a Protected Areas and First Nation Resource Stewardship Accord in 2002. A fifth First Nation, Bloodvein, has since signed the Accord. The Accord’s goal is to create an internationally renowned World Heritage Site within our ancestral lands.
Since we signed the Accord, our First Nations have developed a cooperative partnership with the Provinces of Manitoba (Atikaki Park) and Ontario (Woodland Caribou Park), to pursue the World Heritage Site designation together. A major milestone was reached in 2004, when our planning area was placed on Canada’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites (WHS). This is the first step in acquiring UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription, a process that will take an estimated five years.
The total WHS planning area (including Atikaki and Woodland Caribou Parks) encompasses approximately 6 million hectares. The area overlaps the Ontario and Manitoba boundary. More on the World Heritage Site program can be found at: http://pc.gc.ca/progs/spm-whs/index_e.asp
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