Videos: The Guardians of the Emerald Edge

The Nature Conservancy’s project in the Emerald Edge is focused on the indigenous people and the local communities who call this place home. 

In May 2016, Ahousaht First Nations started a new guardianship program. It will expand the reach of the Coastal Guardians and ensure that the land’s original inhabitants remain its primary caretakers.

With the support of The Nature Conservancy, the Ahousaht community is conserving the Emerald Edge landscape. This partnership hopes to preserve the beauty of the land for future generations.

Watch the videos below to see how these First Nations are conserving this special landscape:

First Nations communities are diversifying their economies from natural resources, with conservation at the heart of their efforts.
"Our connection and our relationship is with this land here. All our songs and dances and ceremonies had been conceived in these forests by our grandfathers and our grandmothers."
A community-led approach provides sustainable economic opportunities for First Nations along with lasting conservation, for a future in which people and nature thrive.
More Stories from the Emerald Edge
Planting a 'Buffet' to Help Bring Beavers Back to TNC's Ellsworth Preserve
Planting a 'Buffet' to Help Bring Beavers Back to TNC's Ellsworth Preserve

The Nature Conservancy’s Ellsworth Creek Preserve, which occupies the ancestral homelands of the Willapa and Lower Chinook people has and continues to be a host of hundreds of teachers.

In Alaska, Environmentally Sustainable Businesses Thriving With Our Help
In Alaska, Environmentally Sustainable Businesses Thriving With Our Help

The Alaska Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is doing some exciting economic development work with an Indigenous partner in Southeast Alaska.

Videos: The Guardians of the Emerald Edge
Videos: The Guardians of the Emerald Edge

With the support of The Nature Conservancy, the Ahousaht community is conserving the Emerald Edge landscape. This partnership hopes to preserve the beauty of the land for future generations.

Grizzlies Now Have a Safe Haven in the Emerald Edge
Grizzlies Now Have a Safe Haven in the Emerald Edge

The hunting season for grizzly bears in British Columbia is permanently closed. This achievement is a clear example of the potential created by investing in Indigenous leadership

How Do We Share Indigenous Stewardship Knowledge?
How Do We Share Indigenous Stewardship Knowledge?

Programs led by Indigenous communities to steward lands and waters reflect the priorities and values of the Indigenous people who live there.

Learning the Language of a Land
Learning the Language of a Land

What's in a word? For First Nations people like Tsimka Martin, the word "resource" has little meaning. Instead, the notion of “respect for all life” is intrinsic to their language and embedded in the culture.

'Nature Does Not Express Values; Only Humans Do'
'Nature Does Not Express Values; Only Humans Do'

Conservation currently embodies the preservationist ideals of the dominant culture. At times, it does so at the expense of marginalized cultures through legacies of colonialism. But in some places, things are shifting.

Community Conversations Kick Off Washington Coast Works 2017
Community Conversations Kick Off Washington Coast Works 2017

The third year of the Washington Coast Works initiative kicks off in March with a round of local Community Conversations led by past Coast Works winners and participants. 

Lessons for the Emerald Edge from Africa
Lessons for the Emerald Edge from Africa

What we've learned in other areas of the globe, such as Tanzania, influence our thinking about community-led conservation in nearby areas, such as the Emerald Edge in Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. 

These Ski-Makers are Handcrafting a High-Value, Sustainable Economy
These Ski-Makers are Handcrafting a High-Value, Sustainable Economy

When a spruce log leaves Haines, Alaska, in its raw state, it doesn’t bring much value to the local economy. But in the hands of Fairweather Ski Works, it becomes part of a high-value product.

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