The work of the Hub is relational, reciprocal, and trust-based. The establishment of a network of regional IPCA Innovation Centres was articulated as a desired legacy outcome of the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP), which has been strengthening relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners who share a conservation mandate as well as a desire to decolonize and transform the way conservation happens in Canada. From Crown government agencies to ENGOs and other civil society partners to philanthropy and the private sector, the appetite for change and reconciliation is strong. As a host partner of the CRP, IISAAK OLAM has taken bold measures to lead the change, designing programs such as the IPCA Advanced Planning Certificate with Vancouver Island University, the West Coast IPCA Support Program in collaboration with T’Sou-ke Nation, Parks Canada, and Mosaic Forest Management, and the establishment of the Clayoquot Campus in Tofino BC with MakeWay Charitable Society’s IPCA Innovation Program. Each of these initiatives falls under the programmatic umbrella of the Pacific IPCA Innovation Centre and serve as examples of what other regional Hubs may work toward. Furthermore, each initiative centers Indigenous knowledge, embodies reciprocity in spirit and action, builds social capital, and catalyzes transformation at the speed of trust.
The Network of regional IPCA Innovation Centres Hub’s purpose is to support Indigenous-led conservation, restoration, adaptation, and well-being through IPCAs in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in places where such support is requested. The Hub will accomplish this by supporting the establishment of place-based spaces where Indigenous Nations and allies from various sectors may come together (virtually and in person) to assess what supportive elements are required by distinct Indigenous Nations and governments within the region, and work together to gather, adapt, develop, and share these. The Pacific IPCA Innovation Centre will provide guidance and inspiration to other regional IPCA Innovation Centres by offering a potential roadmap and blueprint documented in 2023. Regional centres will develop unique programs, resources, curricula, in-person guidance, and opportunities to convene and collaborate amongst IPCA Nations and invited allies. Centres will also support fundraising for IPCAs and help coordinate and share the necessary supports that individual Nations and governments require to advance their IPCA aspirations. For example, if a Métis IPCA Innovation Centre were to be established, there may be more resources developed on how to establish private land trusts or what transboundary IPCAs in collaboration with First Nations might look like. An Ontario area IPCA Innovation Centre might have a research focus on Treaty rights and responsibilities with regard to IPCAs.
IPCAs are vehicles for self-determination in environmental, economic, and social decision-making. Each Indigenous Nation/community/government is sovereign in their aspirations for, and avenues toward, community and ecosystem health and wellbeing. The role of IPCA Innovation Centres is to understand the aspirations of Nations and the tools that they have to advance their aspirations, to identify which are missing or needed, and to support in their development and mobilization. The work is cyclical, iterative, collaborative, and respectful. Members of IPCA Innovation Centres will contribute to an understanding of the needs (e.g. the Four Moose Narrative–see the 2018 ICE report), work together to address these needs, and share the lessons, teachings, and impacts with the National network of IPCA Innovation Centres, which will determine how best to communicate successes and lessons externally, respecting OCAP and any specific requests for privacy. For example, the ipcainnovation.ca website may be populated with examples of the work being done regionally, and the IPCA Knowledge Basket will host any specific tools and stories that serve to mobilize learnings and stories to a broader external audience.
