A changing climate and world calls for rapid action across sectors in order to build a resilient future for the generations to come. We are increasingly in a state of panic as climatic hazards continue to intensify and displacement and climate refugees have become the new norm. As noted by Elmqvist et al. (2019) “A large proportion of the urban and therefore global human population are located in low-lying coastal zones and are at risk from urban development intensification exposing people and social, ecological, and technological assets to coastal storms and the effects of sea level rise” (p. 1). So much of the world population is situated in coastal zones and often don’t have the means to adequately prepare for future climate impacts. The Expert Panel on Disaster Resilience in a Changing Climate adds “communities and individuals often lack the necessary resources to pursue resilient strategies, and often the most vulnerable populations are least able to choose resilience owing to a wide range of constraints” (p. 125). How do we adapt with sufficient action to temper the inevitable impacts of climate change? Where do we begin? With such a reality comes a burden and an opportunity. The field of resilience offers an optimistic lens into, what otherwise, is a daunting and depressing reality that we face. Throughout the readings I couldn’t help but be brought back to the idea of adaptive capacity. Described as the “the ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability and extremes), to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences” (Wall & Marzall, 2006, p. 377). Being resilient and simultaneously adaptive is a strong combination when facing the difficult task of climate action within a rapidly changing climate. 

I am drawn to the intersection of resilience as it relates to First Nations communities and forest management. I recently finished a road trip with my family down to California where I was raised. While visiting we drove up to Lake Tahoe where my folks own a little A frame cabin in the backcountry. On our drive up my breath was taken away by the changes to the scenery I knew so well. For miles and miles blackened trees hugged the highway burned by the recent wildfires. As we continued driving, we began to pass areas of forest not yet burned where the practice of selective harvesting was utilized as a fire prevention tactic. Controlled burns were orchestrated in spaces with excess debris. For thousands of years Indigenous peoples have managed land with care and precision, however, “in Canada, the last two centuries have seen Aboriginal people largely excluded from forest management activities” (McGregor, 2002, p. 833). It’s time Indigenous ways of knowing be reintegrated into forest management practice to mitigate the impacts of wildfire up and down the coast. As highlighted by O’Flaherty et al. (2008), “bringing together Indigenous and science-based knowledge systems in a unified forest management planning effort [is essential]” in reestablishing sustainable forest systems, ecological health, and relationship building (p. 1). 

Resilience is achieved through collaboration, transdisciplinarity, western science, and traditional ecological knowledge. It is an all encompassing approach that I believe increases the overall adaptive capacity of a community. As noted by Moser et al. (2019) “resilience is increasingly presented as an organizing concept and strategy for handling complexity and uncertainty within and between dynamic systems” (p. 28). Not only should resilience be a focal point in the climate action space but it should also coincide with reconciliatory efforts. Building a resilient community encompasses a social justice component, one that should prioritize the needs of Indigenous communities and raise Indigenous voices. In addition, “a cross cultural approach to engaging…Indigenous peoples in…forest management will require addressing not only the role of Indigenous knowledge in decision making, but also the role of Indigenous people” (O’Flaherty et al., 2008, p. 1). It is, by its very nature, reconciliation in action. 

Indigenous communities are incredibly resilient and adaptive due to historical abuses, systematic oppression, and colonial imposition. It is the voice of lived experience, observation, and relationship to the land that can aid in the efforts to create a more resilient future and Indigenous voices bring just that to the table.  

References 

Elmqvist, T., Andersson, E., Frantzeskaki, N., McPhearson, T., Olsson, P., Gaffney, O., Takeuchi, K., & Folke, C. (2019). Sustainability and resilience for transformation in the urban century. Nature Sustainability, 2(4), 267–273. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0250-1

McGregor, D. (2002). Indigenous knowledge in sustainable forest management: Community-based approaches achieve greater success. The Forestry Chronicle, 78(6), 833–836.https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc78833-6

O’Flaherty, R. M., Davidson-Hunt, I. J., & Manseau, M. (2008). Indigenous Knowledge and Values in Planning for Sustainable Forestry: Pikangikum First Nation and the Whitefeather Forest Initiative. Ecology and Society, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-02284-130106

Wall, E., & Marzall, K. (2006). Adaptive capacity for climate change in Canadian rural communities. Local Environment, 11(4), 373–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549830600785506

The Expert Panel on Disaster Resilience in a Changing Climate. (2022). Building a resilient Canada.