B.C.’s Raush Valley declared Indigenous protected and conserved area
Posted March 27, 2023 5:33 pm.
The Simpcw First Nation says it has declared the Raush Valley an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA).
“This self-declaration is made based on the inherent rights and jurisdiction that Simpcw has over Simpcwúl’ecw, our unceded territory, as the decisionmakers and stewards of the tmicw (land),” a news release Monday reads.
The now-protected portion of the Raush Valley sits near Valemount and the Cariboo Mountains and is “important historically and currently” to the Simpcq First Nation, according to Chief George Lampreau.
“Creating an IPCA in the Raush Valley is our long-term commitment to conserve lands and waters for future generations,” he said in a news release. “We will exercise our rights to control what happens in this valley.”
The Indigenous Leadership Initiative’s website describes IPCAs as “places that Indigenous Nations identify for conservation.”
In 2021, the Government of Canada announced funding that included over $166 million for IPCAs.
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Lampreau says the intention moving forward will be to conserve the area, as it has had little resource development compared to other areas in the region.
“The western approach to conservation bars Indigenous peoples from meaningful decision-making on our territories, preventing us from carrying out cultural practices and learning about our history — this is an extension of the colonial practice of removing Indigenous peoples from our land,” he said.
A release from the Nation explains it will look to develop Indigenous Management Approaches with “relevant industry and government partners, and neighbouring First Nations.”
“Protecting the Raush as an IPCA allows us to continue to yecwmenúlecw (take care of the land) as we have for time immemorial,” said Lampreau.
The Nation adds it hopes to “foster good relations” between themselves and settlers who rely on the Raush Valley for “ecosystem services.”
