Understanding the Role of the Boreal Environment in Supporting the Well-Being of Remote First Nations Communities in Canada

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) describes an assessment framework designed to help governments and First Nations communities understand the relationship between the boreal environment and community well-being. Developed through collaboration with the Bloodvein and Poplar River First Nations in Manitoba, the framework simplifies international ecosystem assessment models to identify how environmental products, services, and cultural benefits support health, security, livelihoods, and social relations in remote Canadian settings.

• The IISD developed an assessment framework to assist federal, provincial, and First Nations governments in place-based planning for sustainable development. This framework categorizes the environment's role into three areas: products for living, services for sustaining, and cultural and spiritual benefits, which in turn support health and security, livelihoods, and social relations.
• Remote communities rely on the boreal environment for essential products for living, including traditional foods like berries, mushrooms, and meats from caribou, duck, and rabbit. However, a shift toward hunting and gathering in the immediate vicinity of communities, rather than traveling long distances, is over-stressing the local environment and reducing its productivity.
• The environment provides critical sustaining services, such as peatlands (muskeg) acting as natural water filters and trees providing protection against wind storms and erosion. Changes in muskeg recharge and more frequent hot summer days have limited access to clean water, leaving rapids as the only remaining clean water source in some areas.
• Predictable ice conditions are vital for the financial and psychological well-being of remote communities, as winter roads are essential for maintaining affordable diets.
• Cultural and spiritual benefits from the environment are declining because knowledge is not being passed from elders to youth, leading to a loss of connection with traditions and the use of plants. Additionally, the aesthetic value of the environment is being degraded by garbage.
• Climate change is increasing the risk of food and energy supply disruptions due to less reliable winter ice roads. This has created a demand for permanent road systems through the boreal forest to mitigate these risks.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2011). Understanding the Role of the Boreal Environment in Supporting the Well-Being of Remote First Nations Communities in Canada. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_boreal_environment.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Understanding the Role of the Boreal Environment in Supporting the Well-Being of Remote First Nations Communities in Canada. 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_boreal_environment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Understanding the Role of the Boreal Environment in Supporting the Well-Being of Remote First Nations Communities in Canada |date=October 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_boreal_environment.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2011understanding, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Understanding the Role of the Boreal Environment in Supporting the Well-Being of Remote First Nations Communities in Canada}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_boreal_environment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }