B. Physical Geography and Physical Processes in Canada · Canada's Physical Environment: Landforms, Climate, Hazards and People

Valuing the Land: Communities, Perspectives and Protecting Canada's Natural Environment

B2.5 A2.2 A1.5About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe different ways that communities value Canada's natural environment (economic, cultural, spiritual, recreational, ecological).
I can explain how the practices and perspectives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, and of other communities, influence how the environment is used and protected.
I can analyse a land-use issue from several perspectives.
I can discuss perspectives respectfully, recognizing diversity within every community.

Words to know

perspective
A point of view shaped by a person's or group's experiences, values, culture and interests.

stewardship
Taking responsibility for caring for the land, water and living things for present and future generations.

stakeholder
A person or group affected by, or with an interest in, a decision.

rights holder
A group with legal or constitutional rights in a decision, such as First Nations, Métis and Inuit with Aboriginal and treaty rights recognized in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA)
Land or water where Indigenous governments have the main role in protecting and conserving ecosystems through Indigenous laws, governance and knowledge.

Indigenous Guardians
Community members, hired by their Nations, who monitor and care for lands and waters.

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
Inuit traditional knowledge, values and ways of knowing; the Government of Nunavut uses it as a guiding principle.

ecological integrity
The health of an ecosystem, with its native species and natural processes intact; the first priority in managing Canada's national parks.

ecosystem services
Benefits nature provides people, such as clean water, flood control, pollination and carbon storage.

One lake, many meanings

Picture a lake in northern Ontario. To an Anishinaabe family whose ancestors have fished and harvested wild rice there for generations, it may be a source of food, medicines, teachings, language and identity, and a relationship that comes with responsibilities. To a cottage owner, it is summer peace and family memories. To an outfitter, it is a business. To a forestry company, the forest around it is timber and jobs. To scientists, it is a place to measure water quality and climate change. To a town downstream, it is drinking water.

None of these values is imaginary, and many people hold several at once. Expectation B2.5 asks you to analyse how various communities value Canada's natural environment and how their practices and perspectives influence its use and protection.

Different communities connected to the same lake, and some of the things each may value. Real people within each group can hold different views.

Ways of valuing the environment

Economic: resources (timber, minerals, fish, farmland), tourism and jobs.
Ecological (ecosystem services): clean water, flood control, pollination, carbon storage, habitat.
Cultural and spiritual: places tied to identity, ceremony, stories, language and ancestors.
Recreational and aesthetic: hiking, canoeing, fishing, beauty, quiet, mental health.
Scientific and educational: places to study and learn.
Intrinsic: the belief that nature has value in itself, whether or not people use it.

Conflicts arise when one kind of value (for example, economic) would reduce another (for example, ecological or cultural) in the same place.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives and practices

First Nations, Métis and Inuit are many distinct peoples with their own languages, laws and relationships to particular lands and waters, so there is no single "Indigenous view". Many share a perspective that people are in relationship with the land, water and other living beings, with responsibilities to care for them for future generations. Their rights are recognized in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and in treaties. Examples of practices and perspectives shaping how land and water are used and protected today:

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs): Thaidene Nëné ("land of the ancestors") in the Northwest Territories was established in 2019 through the leadership of the Łutsël K'é Dene First Nation, working with Parks Canada and the territorial government. Edéhzhíe, established in 2018 by the Dehcho First Nations with the federal government, is another.
Co-management: Gwaii Haanas on Haida Gwaii is managed jointly by the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada.
Indigenous Guardians: in many Nations, Guardians monitor wildlife, water and land use; the Haida Gwaii Watchmen welcome and watch over visitors at important village sites.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: the Government of Nunavut uses Inuit knowledge and values, such as stewardship and working together for a common cause, as guiding principles. Inuit knowledge of wildlife and sea ice informs research and management.
Métis harvesting: in R. v. Powley (2003), the Supreme Court of Canada recognized Métis harvesting rights for a Métis community near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Métis governments today take part in decisions about lands and wildlife.
Water protection: Anishinaabe Grandmother Josephine Mandamin led the Mother Earth Water Walks, walking the shorelines of the Great Lakes to raise awareness about protecting water. Many water walks continue.
Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk): a principle shared by Mi'kmaw Elder Albert Marshall: learning to see with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge with one eye and the strengths of Western science with the other, and using both eyes together.

Two-Eyed Seeing: using the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and Western science together gives a fuller understanding of the environment.

Other communities' practices and perspectives

Governments: Canada's first national park, Banff, was created in 1885. Today the first priority in national parks is maintaining ecological integrity. Rouge National Urban Park in the Toronto area (established 2015) protects nature and farmland inside a big city region.
Farmers: many farm families see themselves as stewards of soil and water for the next generation. Programs such as ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services) pay farmers to restore wetlands, grasslands and buffers on part of their land.
Conservation groups and land trusts buy or protect land (for example, the Nature Conservancy of Canada).
Resource industries value land for resources and jobs and must meet environmental rules, consult Indigenous rights holders and reclaim land after use.
Urban residents often value parks, ravines, trees and clean beaches close to home, and may push for protection through municipal politics.

A recent Ontario example: the Greenbelt

Ontario's Greenbelt (created in 2005) protects farmland, forests, wetlands and the Oak Ridges Moraine around the Greater Golden Horseshoe from urban development. In 2022, the provincial government removed some land from the Greenbelt to allow housing. After strong public opposition and critical reports by the province's Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner, the government reversed the decision in 2023. The debate showed how differently people value the same land: as space for much-needed homes, as farmland, as nature, as water protection, and as land within Indigenous territories and treaties.

Worked example

Modelled example: Analysing a land-use issue from many perspectives

Issue: Should a new all-season road be built to a remote mineral deposit in northern Ontario? Analyse at least four perspectives.

Mining company and some workers: value access to valuable minerals (some used in batteries) and jobs; the road lowers costs.
First Nations in the area: perspectives differ between and within Nations. Some see benefits (jobs, cheaper goods, year-round access to their communities); others worry about effects on wetlands, wildlife, water and their rights, and insist on their consent and on decision-making power. All are rights holders whose treaty and Aboriginal rights must be respected.
Environmental scientists and groups: the area includes vast peatlands that store carbon and provide habitat; a road could fragment wildlife habitat and disturb wetlands.
Provincial government: weighs economic development, revenue, its duty to consult, and environmental protection.
Synthesis: values conflict (economic vs ecological and cultural), and the process matters as much as the outcome: who decides, and whose knowledge is included.

A strong analysis names several perspectives, explains what each values and why, recognizes differences within groups, and identifies rights holders and the decision-making process, not just the outcome.

🔎 Geographer's toolkit: respectful discussion

When you discuss perspectives (A2.2):

Describe views fairly and accurately, the way people would describe themselves.
Avoid stereotypes and avoid speaking for any group as if everyone in it agrees.
Use present tense for living communities: First Nations, Métis and Inuit are here today, governing, working and caring for their lands.
Listen to understand, not just to reply. Ask: What experience or value might lead someone to this view?

Hands-on activity

Value-map a local place

You need: a natural place near you (a park, ravine, creek, beach, woodlot or lake), a notebook, and two or three people to ask (family, neighbours, friends, a park staff member).

Ask each person: "What do you value about this place? Is there anything you would change or protect?"
Sort their answers into the categories from this lesson (economic, ecological, cultural or spiritual, recreational or aesthetic, scientific, intrinsic).
Find out whose traditional territory or treaty land the place is on (many municipalities and school boards have land acknowledgements; you can also use resources from local First Nations).
Draw a simple sketch map of the place and add labels for what each person valued.
Write a paragraph: Where do values agree? Where might they conflict? Who should be part of decisions about this place?

What to look for: at least two categories of value, an honest description of each person's view, and a thoughtful answer about who should be involved, including Indigenous rights holders.

Just for fun

Ask a geographer whether the glass is half full or half empty and they'll say: "Depends on who's drinking it, where the water came from, who owns the glass, and what the people downstream think."

Your turn

Name four ways people can value the natural environment.

What is an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area? Give one example.

What does Two-Eyed Seeing mean?

Why is it a mistake to talk about "the Indigenous view" of a resource project?

What is the first priority for managing Canada's national parks?

Why did the 2022–2023 Greenbelt decisions cause such debate?

What is the difference between a stakeholder and a rights holder?

More practice: warm-up

What year was Banff, Canada's first national park, created?

What is stewardship?

What did R. v. Powley (2003) recognize?

What do Indigenous Guardians do?

Name one ecosystem service a wetland provides.

More practice: on your own

How can the practices of Indigenous Guardians influence the protection of the environment?

Choose two groups from the lake example and explain how their values could conflict.

Explain how co-management at Gwaii Haanas shows a perspective influencing protection.

Why might a farmer join a program that pays them to restore a wetland on part of their land?

Explain why the decision-making process matters, not only the final decision, in land-use issues.

Challenge

Some people argue the best way to protect nature is to keep people out entirely; others argue people who live on and use the land are often its best protectors. Using examples from this lesson, assess both views.

Write an inquiry question about B2.5 for your own region, and list three sources (including at least one Indigenous source) you would use.

Explain how the same wetland might be valued in all six ways listed in this lesson.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Thaidene Nëné in the Northwest Territories is an example of:

Two-Eyed Seeing means:

Which value is ECOLOGICAL?

The first priority in managing Canada's national parks is:

Why should you avoid saying "Indigenous people think..." about a resource project?

Ontario's Greenbelt was created in:

For parents and teachers

Big idea: B2.5 asks students to analyse how various communities value Canada's natural environment and how their practices and perspectives influence its use and protection. This lesson includes First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives and practices presented as current and diverse, as well as other communities' perspectives.

Teaching with care:

Encourage your teen to describe each perspective as its holders would, and to recognize diversity within every group.
Use present tense when talking about First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.
If your family has its own connection to the land (Indigenous, farming, cottage, newcomer), that experience is a valuable perspective to share.

Common difficulties: Students may treat perspectives as "right vs wrong". Steer toward "what is valued, why, and how can decisions be made fairly?"

How to help: Look up whose traditional territory your community is on and any nearby Indigenous-led conservation or Guardian projects. Visit a local conservation area and talk about the different ways people value it.