Indigenous Land Stewardship, Faculty of Forestry

ILS_V: Indigenous Land Stewardship


  1. ILS_V 100 (3) Indigenous Views of Landscapes

    Introduction to Indigenous people's interpretation of landscape and worldview. Learning from knowledge keepers, the course covers culturally significant places, place names, ceremonies, berry picking, medicines, fishing, and hunting.

  2. ILS_V 101 (3) Introduction to Natural Resources Stewardship

    Introduction to the principles of 'caring for the land' and integrating this ethos into natural resources management, including topics on caretaking for the land, animals, and future generations; sacred places; and the principle of interconnectivity of all living things.

  3. ILS_V 102 (3) Community Engagement: Principles, Practices and Protocols

    Introduction to working and professionalism in cross-cultural contexts, with a focus on Indigenous governments and the importance of organizational values, cultural practices and protocols, consensus-based decision-making, principles of engagement, conflict resolution and political dynamics.

  4. ILS_V 103 (3) Decolonization and Natural Resources

    Introduction to Indigenous People's history, cultures and experiences, and the effect on control over natural resources, drawing from local to international perspectives, with a focus on how decolonization, as an analytical lens, can transform institutions and Indigenous People's everyday lives.

  5. ILS_V 104 (3) Introduction to Governance

    Foundations of governance, with a focus on Indigenous governance in Canada. Topics include traditional governance, self-governance and natural resources governance.

  6. ILS_V 105 (3) Ways of Knowing

    Introduction to Indigenous Knowledge, with a focus on Indigenous and Western Knowledge for managing ecosystems and integrating knowledge.

  7. ILS_V 106 (3) Holistic Resource Stewardship

    Introduction to holistic resource stewardship and the interconnectivity of all living things. A holistic resource stewardship approach is taught, and students learn to operationalize a holistic stewardship plan. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 101.

  8. ILS_V 107 (3) Community: Capacity Development

    Foundations for understanding community organization and collective action in communities. Introduction to techniques for building capacity among members/citizens. Prerequisite: ILS 102.

  9. ILS_V 108 (3) Plant Identification and Dendrology

    Introduction to structure, diversity and development of trees and other plants, drawing from Indigenous and western knowledge systems.

  10. ILS_V 200 (3) Field Measurements

    Introduction to different techniques commonly used in field surveys, including assessments of landforms, soils, vegetation patterns and cultural features. Prerequisite: ILS 100.

  11. ILS_V 201 (6) Ecology 1 - Foundations

    Foundations of ecology, the interaction of organisms and the environment, drawing from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics include organismal, population, community and ecosystem theories. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 200.

  12. ILS_V 202 (3) GIS and Mapping

    Introduction to digital mapping and spatial analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) for analyzing geographic problems and creating maps.

  13. ILS_V 203 (3) Communications Tools

    Foundations of communications and communications tools. Topics include written, verbal, phone, email and social media communications, with special focus on mobilizing knowledge through social media to a general audience.

  14. ILS_V 204 (6) Ecology 2 - Disturbance and Climate Adaptation

    Foundations of disturbance from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics includes natural (fire, wind, flood, climate) and anthropogenic (logging, dams, mining, climate) disturbances in both intact and altered landscapes. Prerequisite: ILS 201.

  15. ILS_V 205 (3) Business Management

    Business management in a First Nations context. Topics include strategy, leadership and management, culture, accounting, human resources, regulation and law, natural resources and marketing.

  16. ILS_V 300 (3) Interventions on the Land

    Interventions on the land, drawing from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics covered include problem diagnostics and the design and implementation of holistic interventions. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 200.

  17. ILS_V 301 (3) Indigenous Law

    Indigenous legal orders, Canada's constitutional framework, treaties and self-governance. Topics also cover the international context, and the implications of the evolving legal context for land management.

  18. ILS_V 302 (3) Forest and Land Use Planning on Indigenous Lands

    Forest and land use planning on traditional territory. Topics include Aboriginal rights and title, clan and family jurisdiction, traditional use studies and mapping and provincial regulations. Prerequisite: ILS 102.

  19. ILS_V 303 (3) Forest Modelling and Inventories

    Forest management strategies, including statistical inventory tools and growth and yield models, for producing estimates of forest stand characteristics over specified times. Forest growth models are linked to economic models and forest valuation. Prerequisite: All of ILS 200, ILS 204.

  20. ILS_V 304 (3) Wildlife Ecology, Conservation and Management

    Wildlife conservation and management principles from Indigenous and western perspectives. Topics include the nexus between wildlife populations and healthy environments and wildlife habitat and other landscape needs. Prerequisite: ILS 201.

  21. ILS_V 305 (3) Analytics for Land Stewardship

    Introduction to analytics for land stewardship. Topics includes basic probability and statistics skills, the limitations and strengths of analysis tools, and interconnections between analytical tools, data and landscape level decision-making.

  22. ILS_V 306 (3) Business Models

    First Nations business models, including community business enterprises (CBEs), joint ventures and limited partnerships, entrepreneurship and economic development among First Nations. Corequisite: All of ILS 305, ILS 307.

  23. ILS_V 307 (3) Business Tools

    Business management tools to sustain business competitiveness in a First Nations context. The course covers strategic planning, customer and stakeholder management, management information systems, benchmarking and supply chain management. Corequisite: All of ILS 305, ILS 306.

  24. ILS_V 308 (3) Indigenous Research Methods

    Research terminology, ethics and practice. Drawing from Indigenous and western science approaches, the course covers Indigenous, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches.

  25. ILS_V 400 (3) Policy Building and Processes

    Policy theory and practice in the Indigenous land stewardship context. Topics include developing and influencing policy and the drivers of policy change. Prerequisite: ILS 203.

  26. ILS_V 401 (3) Community Conflict Management

    Conflict management focusing on power, rights and interests in Indigenous communities. Topics consensus-based and collaborative approaches.

  27. ILS_V 402 (6) Stewarding in Practice

    Stewarding land and forests in practice, drawing from Indigenous and western perspectives. Prerequisite: All of ILS 100, ILS 200, ILS 300. or admission by permission of the instructor.

  28. ILS_V 403 (15) Land Stewardship Plan

    Capstone field course to produce a land stewardship plan integrating a diverse range of objectives and goals for a community or industry partner. Prerequisite: ILS 402.


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