Understanding First Nations rights and perspectives on the use of herbicides in forestry: A case study from northeastern Ontario

Abstract

This article provides forestry professionals with an improved understanding of why First Nations are opposed to the use of chemical herbicides for silvicultural purposes on their traditional lands, based on a case study in northeastern Ontario. Results were generated using a modified form of a focus group approach. First Nations opposition to herbicide use involved not only concerns over human and environmental health (concerns common among the general public) but also spanned from treaty rights, mistrust, and respect issues to herbicide use being incongruent with traditional First Nations worldviews. The results illustrate that the science-education approach typically used to address public opposition to herbicides is neither adequate nor appropriate for addressing First Nations concerns. Instead, a more in-depth engagement and approach, centred on genuine respect for First Nations rights, culture and history, is needed to arrive at solutions that are consistent with each First Nation community's values and terms.Key words: First Nations, Aboriginal, Indigenous, traditional ecological knowledge, herbicides, forestry, perceptions, risk, worldviews, vegetation management, silviculture, boreal forest RÉSUMÉCet article permet aux forestiers professionnels de mieux comprendre pourquoi les Premières Nations s' opposent à l'utilisation des herbicides à des fins sylvicoles sur leurs terres ancestrales en s'appuyant sur une étude effectuée dans le nord-est de l'Ontario. Ces résultats ont été obtenus à l'aide d'une forme modifiée de groupes de discussion. L' opposition des Premières Nations à l'utilisation des herbicides ne résulte pas que de leur préoccupation pour la santé humaine et celle de l' environnement, qu'ils partagent d'ailleurs avec le public en général; elle repose aussi sur les droits définis par Traité, la méfiance, une question de respect et même sur le fait que l'utilisation d'herbicides va à l' encontre de la vision traditionnelle que les Premières Nations ont sur le monde. Les résultats montrent que l'approche par l' éducation scientifique que l' on adopte souvent pour contrer l' opposition publique aux herbicides n' est ni adéquate ni suffisante pour prendre en compte les préoccupations des Premières Nations. Il faut au contraire une démarche plus approfondie fondée sur un véritable respect des droits, de la culture et de l'histoire des Premières Nations pour trouver des solutions adaptées aux valeurs et aux conditions propres à chaque communauté des Premières Nations.

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

“…For example, many IPs are limiting local levels of N pollution through the maintenance of traditional agricultural practices with minimal use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers (Wezel et al 2014). Organic farming is an integral part of many IPs' food production systems, including the Maya of Mexico and the Wanka of Peru (Grossman 2003; Moreno‐Peñaranda and Egelyng 2008; Huaman 2014), in which applying natural pest control is more congruent with traditional IPs' worldviews than the use of modern pesticides and agrotoxics (Kayahara and Armstrong 2015; Malmer and Tengö 2019).…”

Preserving Ecosystem Services on Indigenous Territory through Restoration and Management of a Cultural Keystone Species

“…This was historically done by recurrent surface fires that have mostly been eliminated by fire suppression policies in several jurisdictions including Quebec. Site preparation can be done mechanically, with chemicals or prescribed burning (e.g., [51]), the latter two methods being prohibited in Quebec (but see [63] for a thorough discussion of the acceptability of such practices in Indigenous contexts). If natural regeneration is the selected strategy for white pine establishment, site preparation must coincide with the occurrence of mast seed years to maximize stocking.…”

Growing together: A principle-based approach to building collaborative Indigenous partnerships in Canada’s forest sector

“…Additionally, in studying how participants perceived each other's values, it was demonstrated that perceptions are often based on stereotypical views of particular groups, which do not often reflect the true views held by individuals within that group (Lee and Kant 2006). In light of these insights, it becomes clear that groups must work to build strong relationships and use them to develop management strategies that meet the objectives of all parties, rather than imposing systems and practices that the dominant group finds acceptable and expedient (Kayahara and Armstrong 2015). Using the example of vegetation management, Wyatt et al (2011b) reinforce this notion by asserting that, since no universal Indigenous perspective exists, forest managers must consider how their values and perceptions compare to the broader public's and begin to work more collaboratively with communities to develop mutually-acceptable strategies that meet each party's objectives and concerns.…”