a group of people sitting around a table with plans and maps
Healthy Country Planning Colleagues and partners collaborate at a Healthy Country Planning conference in Vancouver in August 2017. © Michael Pietrocarlo

Indigenous-Led Conservation

Healthy Country Planning

We are sharing lessons from colleagues around the world to help our partners develop stewardship plans that reflect their values.

What is the key to a healthy territory? Flowing rivers. Abundant moose. Traditional food for your family. Robust fish stocks. Connections between youth and elders. These are just a few of the values identified by participants from Indigenous communities in Manitoba, Alberta and the Northwest Territories at a natural resources planning workshop hosted by Nature United in August 2017.

When people involved in a planning process feel empowered and invested in the output, that plan is more likely to succeed. Healthy Country Planning is one of the Indigenous-led models that Nature United supports.

Healthy Country Planning is an Indigenous-led process for land and water planning and management.   

A Shared Solution

Healthy Country Planning was developed in collaboration with many communities, and it does not belong to any one organization or person. It is licensed under Creative Commons. Find more information on the Conservation Coaches Network website.

First developed with Indigenous people in Australia, Healthy Country Planning was created to ensure that Indigenous knowledge and people are central to planning processes in their country. It has since been used worldwide for developing and implementing land-use plans, wildlife management plans and protected area plans, including in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Healthy Country Planning encourages strong community engagement by tailoring language, facilitation and tools to the community’s needs. It also provides an approach to connect community values, Indigenous knowledge and western science, helping parties understand each other and giving a platform to implement appropriate solutions.

Elements of Healthy Country Planning

Healthy Country Planning was developed for an inclusive community approach to ensure cultural, environmental and social values are considered equally. The process creates well thought-out pathways to improve the health of lands, waters and the people who care for them. HCP follows a cycle of simple steps to build and use a plan in the right way, with the right people.

Explore RETURN

Nature United provides facilitation and other tools to support Indigenous-led planning processes.

Trainings To Date Across Canada

  • 2015, Northwest Territories
  • 2017, British Columbia
  • 2019, Manitoba

Indigenous stewardship is at the centre of Nature United's work, with a focus on working in partnership with Indigenous communities as they strengthen governance, build on-the-ground stewardship capacity, support and build leaders, and catalyze local economies. As an affiliate of the world's largest conservation organization, The Nature Conservancy, Nature United has access to a global network of community conservation programs and practitioners. We draw on these connections whenever possible to share ideas and innovative tools from around the world with our partners in Canada.

A Collaborative Approach
A Collaborative Approach Since 2015, Nature United has organized and attended Healthy Country Planning trainings across Canada. © Michael Pietrocarlo
Making a List
Building Capacity We are working to build capacity for Indigenous communities participate in and facilitate their own Healthy Country Planning processes. © Michael Pietrocarlo
A Collaborative Approach Since 2015, Nature United has organized and attended Healthy Country Planning trainings across Canada. © Michael Pietrocarlo
Building Capacity We are working to build capacity for Indigenous communities participate in and facilitate their own Healthy Country Planning processes. © Michael Pietrocarlo

How We're Supporting Healthy Country Planning

There is an expanding interest among Indigenous communities in Canada to use Healthy Country Planning. As an organization we are committed to supporting our partners in using this Indigenous-led planning process.

  • Elders and youth from the Misipawistik Cree Nation gathered on the shore of Lake Winnipeg, near Grand Rapids, Manitoba.

    Capacity Building

    Train Canadian-based facilitators who can lead and provide technical support for the Healthy Country Planning process.

  • Colleagues and partners collaborate at a Healthy Country Planning conference in Vancouver, August 2017

    Providing Resources

    Providing access to trained facilitators and co-facilitation support to Indigenous communities interested in Healthy Country Planning

  • Margo hands out hazel sticks to members of the Misipawistik Cree Nation to share a traditional song from the Yurok tribe.

    Adapting the Process

    Advocate and participate in the development and adaptation of Healthy Country Planning in a Canadian context as tool to support Indigenous-led planning.

Healthy Country Planning Resources