Cooperative management in Alberta: An applied approach to resource management and consultation with First Nations

摘要

First Nations and renewable resource management agencies in Alberta continue to explore new ways to work together. Their challenge is to examine policy mechanisms for natural resource management that will be acceptable to both parties, and thereby avoid costly and time-consuming court challenges. One equitable partnership model that is being testing in Alberta is cooperative management---a formal approach to establishing a consultation forum between the government of Alberta and First Nations to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern. Currently, three cooperative management agreements exist in Alberta between the provincial government and the Whitefish Lake First Nation, the Little Red River Cree and Tallcree First Nations, and the Horse Lake First Nation. Examination of the structural and functional elements of these agreements and relevant context will help establish a baseline for comparing other or future studies. Moreover, it will shed some light on methods to refine and improve what can only be described at this time as a tenuous, fledgling relationship. Clearly, however, there are important implications for the management of renewable resources in Alberta in the future.