Île-à-la-Crosse hosting one of four Métis Canadian Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas
Île-à-la-Crosse is the site of one of only four Métis Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) across the country. Being one of the 37 IPCAs, these projects are designed to assist Canada in reaching climate change targets laid out in the United Nations Framework Convention in Climate Change.
A media release stated “the project name is Sakitawak Conservation IPCA. Sakitawak is Cree for ‘where the rivers meet’ and adapted in French is Île-à-la-Crosse.”
This, along with the other IPCAs, focus on the protection and conservation of ecosystems through the use of Indigenous laws, governance and information. Indigenous communities take on the responsibility of protecting and conserving ecosystems and their biodiversity.
Peter Durocher, Sakitawak Conservation IPCA Manager, shared his concerns with the state of the area’s environment and how it is affecting the region’s biodiversity. He stated the elders in the area have noted significant changes in the organisms that habit the ecosystem.