International Convening on Indigenous Forest-Based Carbon Offsetting

 

April 28 to May 1, 2025, University of British Columbia

This multi-day series of events will convene representatives from First Nations, Indigenous Communities and Tribes from Canada, Mexico and the United States with long-term, substantive engagements with forest-based carbon offsetting, along with their partners from academic and other institutions.

This Convening will be an opportunity to:

  • Share stories of how serving as stewards of forests has both affected relationships of Indigenous Peoples with their land and has benefitted global communities.
  • Learn from each other on how the values and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples have guided experiences and practices of forest-based carbon offsetting and their strategies for adapting these initiatives to meet their goals for their forests and their communities.
  • Spark discussions that can lead to supportive relationships and collaborations to promote forest stewardship that reflect Indigenous Peoples’ values and vision.
  • Identify common questions and concerns on these topics that can be answered in partnership between Indigenous Peoples and researchers.

 

 

Click here to Learn More about some of the First Nations, Indigenous Communities and Tribes that will be represented in the Convening!
Click here to Learn more about some of the Participants involved in Carbon Projects that will be part of the Convening!

 

 

Indigenous-Led Forest Stewardship and Climate Action in North America

Event description: Learn directly from Indigenous leaders in forest stewardship and climate action from Canada, Mexico and the United States through presentations, stories and discussion. Delegates will discuss their deeply rooted approaches to forest management and reflect on how their innovative strategies and vision for stewardship are vital elements of both community resilience and global sustainability.

This event is open to the public and will include a reception and networking after the panel discussions.

  • Date: Monday, April 28, 2025
  • Time: 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
  • Location: UBC Robson Square Theatre (C300), 800 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2E7, Canada
 Pre-registration required, Click here to see more and register!

 

Indigenous Strategies for Engaging with Forest-Based Carbon Offsetting

Pre-registration required, Click here to see more and register! 

Event description: Through a series of panel presentations and a public discussion, we will explore how North American Indigenous Peoples have engaged with carbon offsetting, the challenges they have faced in doing so and the strategies they have employed to adapt these programs to conform to their own vision for their forests and the communities. 

This event is free and open to the public.

Envisioning the Future of Indigenous Forest-Based Carbon Offsetting

Please click here to see the Protected Page for Delegates and find out more about the events! 

Event description: After exploring challenges and strategies on April 29th, we will continue the conversation on April 30th with a focus on how carbon offsets could work in the future. This day will involve a smaller group of only First Nations, Indigenous Communities and Tribes who have long term carbon offsetting programs and the collaborators they work with directly. You can expect conversations that ask questions like: Can carbon offsetting be a tool to support Indigenous Peoples’ vision for their forests and communities? What changes are needed to support this vision?

This event is open only to invited delegates. 

Field Trip to Cheakamus Community Forest and Lil’wat Forestry Ventures

Please click here to see the Protected Page for Delegates and find out more about the events! 

Event description: The last day of the Convening will include an optional field trip. We will visit the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF) to experience an example of joint stewardship for carbon offset production. The CCF is a partnership among the Lil’wat and Squamish Nations and the municipality of Whistler. We will also be hosted by Lil’wat Forestry Ventures to experience and learn from this First Nation’s approach to forest stewardship.

This event is open only to invited delegates.

  • Date: May 1st, 2025
  • Times: 7:15 am – 6:00 pm

 

We acknowledge that the land on which UBC Point Grey Campus is located in is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) People and that the Robson Square campus is located in the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.

 

 

This Convening is sponsored by University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry, the Centre for Climate Justice, the Indigenous Research Support Initiative and UBC Connects; the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs and the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations; the Duke University Office of Climate and Sustainability, the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability and the Office of Global Affairs; and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

 


 

 

 

 

Contact Information