Native involvement in strategic assessment of natural resource development: The example of the Crees living in the Canadian taiga

Abstract

The James Bay Agreement reinforces the rights of the Crees to 500,000 km2 of territory in the boreal forest and taiga of northern Quebec. In it, consultation and environmental assessment (EA) mechanisms were set up to ensure the Crees' direct involvement in environmental decisions. This paper addresses three matters: the influence of Native involvement in the EA process; updating the EA process under the Agreement to incorporate the apparently new tools of strategic environmental assessments (SEAs); and adaptation of the concept of SEA to the Native context. Our analysis focuses on the experience gained from large hydroelectric development projects, recent and planned mining developments, and forestry operations. © IAIA 2006.