Most N.W.T. Indigenous governments ink $375M conservation deal. Now what? 

Almost all Indigenous governments in the N.W.T. signed on to a big deal that unlocks $375 million worth of funding for conservation efforts this week. 

Dahti Tsetso, who was given a standing ovation during the signing on Thursday for her role bringing more than 20 communities together, told CBC News it took more than two years to get to the point of putting pen to paper in Behchokǫ̀.

Tsetso, who is the deputy director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, said there's still a lot of work ahead though.  

"Really, this is just the starting point," she said. 

The agreement is called N.W.T.: Our Land for the Future, and it uses a project finance for permanence model that uses both government and private dollars for long-term conservation on a large scale. 

In this case, that's $300 million so far from the federal government and $75 million from private donors. The private donors, however, are matching federal money – and have agreed to put up another $25 million depending on future investments from Ottawa by 2030. 

Most of the money will start flowing in the agreement's first year, which is expected to start in mid-2025.

What's next? 

What comes next, according to Tsetso, is to figure out who will be making decisions about how and where the money is used. 

A draft version of the agreement tabled at the Legislative Assembly at the start of the month lays out a governance process and various different positions that now need to be filled. 

The process includes a partners table, to which each Indigenous partner can appoint one representative. That table will meet for the first time in May, six months from signing, and at least once a year after that. 

There will also be up to seven directors, appointed by Indigenous partners and the private donors, who will manage the trust from which the money will flow, and a governance committee that will develop an annual budget, approve funding applications, and decide whether proposed activities qualify for money. 

Tsetso said all the decisions would be based on the vision of the agreement and the leadership of Indigenous governments. 

According to the draft agreement most of the money, $285 million, will be used over the agreement's 10-year lifespan. The other $90 million is being put into an endowment fund and will be used for operational costs and to generate interest that can be used after the 10-year agreement ends for the ongoing support of established protected and conserved areas. 

 Although it is through territorial legislation that a trust to hold the money was created, the territory did not make any contribution to the funding nor will it receive any of the funding.

So what's the vision of the agreement then? 

The agreement says its primary purpose is to support Indigenous-led initiatives to conserve and steward land and water in the N.W.T. That is – to identify and establish more protected and conserved areas. 

The agreement says Indigenous partners intend to protect nearly 233 thousand hectares of land and water in the N.W.T through new protected and conserved areas. That's a little more than 17 per cent of the N.W.T., and a little more than 2 per cent of Canada. 

The secondary focus of the agreement are conservation-related activities that aren't tied to protected and conserved areas. Rather than being measured in hectares, the agreement said, they can be measured by things like increases to food security, cultural revitalization, knowledge and community wellness. 

The draft agreement contains a list of activities that can qualify for funding. It includes: 

• Protected and conserved areas.
• Guardians.
• Monitoring programs.
• Climate research.
• Economic development for conservation, like eco-tourism.
• Some land-use planning.
• Some emergency planning. 
• Evaluating conservation outcomes.

Who signed it? 

Representatives from more than 20 Indigenous governments in the N.W.T. signed on to the agreement.

• Gwich'in Tribal Council.
• North Slave Métis Alliance.
• Tłįchǫ Government.
• Délı̨nę Got'ı̨nę Government.
• Fort Good Hope Dene and Métis. 
• Tulita Dene and Métis.
• Tłegǫhłı̨ Got'įnę Government Incorporated.
• Tulit'a Land and Finance Corporation.
• Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Dettah.
• Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Ndilǫ.
• Smith's Landing First Nation.
• Łútsël K'é Dene First Nation.
• Deninu Kue First Nation.
• Northwest Territory Métis Nation.
• Fort Resolution Métis Government.
• Dehcho First Nations.
• Tthets'éhk'edélî First Nation.
• Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation.
• Nahʔą Dehé Dene Band.
• Pedzéh Kı̨ First Nation.
• Sambaa K'e First Nation.
• Acho Dene Koe First Nation.
• K'atłodeeche First Nation.

The private donors who signed the agreement are The Pew Charitable Trusts, Waltons Trust and the Metcalf Foundation. Tom Dillon, a representative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, said Thursday that the McLean Foundation, Sitka Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, Ducks Unlimited, Wyss Foundation and Zoma Lab were donors as well. 

The agreement was also signed by the federal and N.W.T. governments. 

Communities in the Inuvialuit region aren't on the list. Tsetso said the Inuvialuit had been at the table at the very beginning, but stepped away once they were working on the framework of the agreement. Salt River First Nation also wasn't on the list.

What are leaders hoping for 

Though decisions still need to be made about where the money is used, Indigenous leaders in Behchokǫ̀ shared some of the ideas they had for their communities on Thursday. 

Collin Pierrot, the chief in Fort Good Hope, said it could use the money to test the quality of water on the Mackenzie River. He's worried climate change is drawing harmful chemicals into his community's drinking water. 

Danny Gaudet, the chief in Délı̨nę, hopes to see money flow into eco-tourism in his community on the shore of Great Bear Lake. 

"We're traditional people, can we build a tourism business in and around our traditions and cultures because it's so natural to us," he said. "We could have people come and have jobs because we're looking after them while we're there." 

Charles McNeely, the chairperson of the Sahtu Secretariat, talked about having more on-the-land programs and guardians in the region. He described the agreement as a "milestone" that will benefit young people and prepare them for the future. 

"You see the forecast outside? A little bit snowy," said McNeely, pointing to an overcast sky through a window of the cultural centre. "But for us, it's like a shiny day outside."