Mi’kmaw First Nations on PEI and Parks Canada-PEI working together on species recovery and conservation

Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaw First Nations on PEI – Lennox Island First Nation and Abegweit First Nation – are working in full collaboration on the development of an amended Multi-Species Action Plan. PEI National Park’s Multi-Species Action Plan is Parks Canada’s commitment to the protection and recovery of species at risk and species of conservation concern, as well as species identified as culturally significant by First Nations partners. 

Both First Nation Communities, including Chiefs and councils, have been engaged on actions for the conservation and recovery of species of cultural significance to the Mi’kmaq. Care is taken to protect traditional knowledge shared as part of this collaboration. In the action plan, conservation and recovery measures prioritize opportunities to integrate Indigenous knowledge, landscape-scale conservation, and climate change considerations throughout the planning process. 

All decisions on the plan are being made jointly by Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaw First Nations. Each party is bringing their respective strengths and knowledge to the table, contributing to a plan that will ultimately benefit ecosystems and species across a broader landscape.

Together, the following results have been achieved:

• a long-term, meaningful joint commitment to work together to advance the recovery and protection of species at risk;
• developed a process for collaboratively supporting First Nations communities on PEI on relevant priorities, such as building relationships and growing capacity;
• completed joint species at risk monitoring on lands administered by Parks Canada, Abegweit First Nation and Lennox Island First Nation, including work in each First Nation community on the following species:
  
  • Bank Swallow, 
  • bat and forest bird populations (using acoustic detectors), and 
  • Beach Pinweed (Lennox Island area).
• committed to cooperative decision-making for strategies, actions, and implementation; and
• incorporated species of cultural significance identified by Indigenous partners within the scope of the Multi-Species Action Plan (e.g., Bald Eagle, Sweetgrass, and Labrador Tea).