Paper short abstract:

The idea of 'cultural landscapes' can be a powerful framing for Indigenous Protected Areas. In this case study of Hw'teshutsun, a Coast Salish cultural landscape on Vancouver Island (BC), a declaration of Indigenous legal orders prompted state law and policy to protect it from unwanted development.

Paper long abstract:

We propose adopting the concept of cultural landscapes as a framework for moving forward of Indigenous jurisdictions and intentions in protecting relationships with culturally significant areas, beyond a single place like an archaeological site. Cultural landscapes can be a fundamental part of the agenda of Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), which have been valued internationally as a way to protect biodiversity. A concept of cultural landscapes speaks to the ontological engagements that people have within a landscape including the human and non-human persons who dwell therein, the ways a group of people value the land, and the legal orders that govern how humans should act in relationship with that landscape.

We elaborate on this concept through a case study of Hw'teshutsun, a Hul'q'umi'num' cultural landscape on southeast Vancouver Island, Canada. Hw'teshutsun was protected from logging and other extractive developments in 2001 through a unilateral declaration by Cowichan Tribes and subsequent negotiations. Hw'teshutsun is a forest landscape significant for spiritual and ceremonial purposes, surrounded by storied places, and vital for harvesting and other land uses. In a context where 85% of Hul'q'umi'num' territory is privately owned, and logging and urban development mark much of the land, protecting Hw'teshutsun was critical for ongoing and revitalized cultural practices. The intangible qualities and values that make Hw'teshutsun culturally significant reflect particular ontological engagements with the land, value systems, and legal orders. By protecting this cultural landscape, Hul'qumi'num legal orders are brought into Canadian law, affording it the novel protection of IPAs.