OTTAWA — A new $375-million conservation fund being created in the Northwest Territories is the largest single investment in Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship in the territory.

The Our Land for the Future fund is a collaboration between government, industry and Indigenous Peoples and includes $300 million from the federal government and $75 million from private donors.

That fund, announced today, will be used for Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship, ecotourism, traditional economic activities and climate research, among others.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the “historic agreement” will move the government closer to its goal of conserving 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030.

Grand Chief Herb Norwegian of Dehcho First Nations says the fund will allow Indigenous governments to create and protect the “sacred paradises” their ancestors have “long cherished since the beginning of time.”

The fund can also be used for on-the-land language and cultural programs, carried out in self-determined ways.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press