Throughout fall 2024 and winter 2025, the Cree Nation Government (CNG), in collaboration with the Government of Quebec’s Ministry of the Environment, hosted a series of information sessions on the Terrestrial Protected Areas in five Cree communities. Supported by the BC2 Inter-Nation Collaboration team and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), these sessions marked a renewed effort to engage communities in the development of a network of terrestrial protected areas across Eeyou Istchee.

As part of the ongoing efforts to develop a Terrestrial Protected Area Network in Eeyou Istchee, the CNG has been actively working to establish a network of protected areas that reflects cultural, ecological, and social priorities of each community. This initiative is a key step in advancing conservation efforts that align with the CNG’s commitment to protecting the territory of Eeyou Istchee for both current and future generations. To support this effort, the CNG initiated a series of Information Sessions to engage community members and gather feedback on the planning process.

These sessions aimed to inform community members about the progress of the protected areas initiative—targeting 20% protection of the territory—with a long-term goal of reaching 30% by 2030. Participants were invited to reflect on past engagement efforts, provide feedback, and contribute ideas for the next stages of planning and expansion.

While logistical and weather-related challenges limited in-person sessions to five of nine Cree communities, alternative methods are being explored to ensure that Nemaska, Waskaganish, Eastmain, and Wemindji received the same key messages of this process.

The Information Sessions took place in the following communities:

Highlights of the Information Sessions

The Information Sessions engaged a wide range of participants, including the general public, tallymen, members of each communities Hunters and Trappers Association (CTA), band council representatives, and other key stakeholders. The sessions welcomed both those who had previously been involved in the process and those learning about it for the first time.
The sessions featured an Open House where participants had the opportunity to obtain information regarding the project. For that purpose, a presentation and four thematic stations with posters and other materials covered the key following topics:

1. Overview of the Previous Process and Protected Areas Outcomes.
   Participants were guided through materials summarizing the process that led to the identification of 20% of Eeyou Istchee as protected areas, including technical aspects and community engagement outcomes. Community-specific results were presented through fact sheets summarizing the outcomes of the process to identify the 20% for protection.
2. Introduction to the Process for Expanding Protected Areas.
   This station introduced the upcoming process to validate the 20% boundaries and explore opportunities for expanding the protected areas network. Conservation planners from the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) were present to present the technical tools used to support this process and provided a demonstration to interested participants. Using these tools, participants could visualize various protected area scenarios informed by both Western scientific data and community consultation insights.
3. Conservation Strategy.
   This station presented the ongoing 2025 update to the Cree Regional Conservation Strategy. Using a storytelling approach featuring a conversation between a grandfather and granddaughter, the session emphasized that conservation is not a new concept for the Cree but a deeply rooted cultural practice essential to protecting the environment and sustaining the Cree way of life. The presentation explored key updates to the vision, goals, and guiding principles, grounding the discussion around conservation in Cree values and traditions.
4. Governance and Management.
   This station presented governance and management frameworks for protected areas, showcasing case studies of Indigenous-led conservation initiatives across Canada. Participants were invited to explore one-pagers comparing conventional and emerging legal conservation statuses to better understand potential models for Eeyou Istchee.

The Information Sessions also included focus group discussions with land stewards, tallymen, and other key stakeholders. Using maps of the existing protected areas, participants were encouraged to reflect on their experiences in the previous process, share insights on what worked well, and identify areas for improvement to help guide the next steps.
Common themes across all sessions included strong community support for protected areas, interest in receiving more information about the selection and decision-making process. Many expressed a desire to have stronger Cree leadership and greater inclusion in governance of protected areas. Many participants emphasized the importance of protecting culturally and ecologically significant areas, balancing development and conservation, and integrating climate change into long-term planning.

Looking Ahead

The outcomes of these sessions will directly inform the next phase of the protected areas project and the 2025 update to the Cree Regional Conservation Strategy. The sessions are part of a broader engagement process that will include data collection sessions to validate protected area boundaries, identify opportunities for expansion of the protected and conserved area network, and define potential management structures, including the roles and involvement of tallymen and local communities in the protection and conservation of Eeyou Istchee. These next steps, scheduled to begin in June 2025, are an important aspect to ensuring that the protected areas network reflects community conservation priorities.