Indigenous Connections: Indigenous-led Conservation

Dr. Nelson will outline a new paradigm of conservation rooted in Indigenous models, values and practices, from the use of culture burning for forest management to prairie restoration and coastal protection. Her talk will address the need to protect biocultural diversity in a way that recognizes Indigenous rights and Traditional Ecological Knowledges. Note: At the time when this was recorded, a slide within the presentation states that there were 574 tribes, but as of today, that number is 575 tribes. About Our Presenter, Dr. Melissa K Nelson: Dr. Melissa K Nelson is an Indigenous ecologist whose research focuses on Indigenous Knowledges/Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to restore biological and cultural diversity and planetary health. She works in higher education, and the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to elevate Indigenous sciences, sustainable food systems, and protect biocultural heritage through conservation and land stewardship. She is an award-winning scholar-activist-media maker passionate about regenerating ecological processes while respecting Indigenous rights. Her work is based in California and the Southwest, but her research networks extend across the globe in Canada, the Arctic, the Pacific, and South America. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. https://www.fws.gov The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the oldest federal conservation agency, tracing its lineage back to 1871, and the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is management of fish and wildlife for the American public. The Service helps ensure a healthy environment for people by providing opportunities for Americans to enjoy the outdoors and our shared natural heritage. We manage the National Wildlife Refuge System with more than 560 National Wildlife Refuges as well as small wetlands and other special management areas encompassing more than 150 million acres. Under the Fisheries program we also operate over 70 National Fish Hatcheries and 65 fishery resource offices. The Ecological Services program has 86 field stations across all 50 states. The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitat is on non-federal lands. Voluntary habitat protection and restoration programs like the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and the Coastal Program and other partnership programs are the primary ways we deliver habitat conservation on public and private lands. The Service employs approximately 9,000 people at facilities across the U.S. The Service is a decentralized organization with a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., with regional and field offices across the country. Our organizational chart shows structure and also provides information on senior management.