News Supporting Conservation and Community Well-Being Differently through Project Finance for Permanence in Canada News 10 mins read June 27, 2024 Blog News Supporting Conservation and Community Well-Being Differently through Project Finance for Permanence in Canada Canada is on track to be the first country in the world with five Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiatives. A PFP is an innovative conservation investment model for securing major commitments from myriad rights holders and stakeholders – including all levels of government, communities, funders, and other partners – to ensure conservation areas are well-managed, sustainably financed, and benefit the communities who depend on them. Twenty years ago, First Nations in British Columbia, the Provincial government, and philanthropic funders signed the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements and established Coast Funds, pioneering a model that has since been recognized as the world’s first PFP. Today, there are four new PFPs developing across Canada with enormous potential to benefit many interconnected and critical benefits: upholding Indigenous sovereignty, conservation and biodiversity, community health and well-being, cultural vitalization, and economic development. PFPs are some of the first large-scale actions in Canada that will help it achieve its commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework’s goals, including protecting 30% of its lands and waters by 2030. Prime Minister Trudeau announced up to $800 million for these PFPs at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), to secure their establishment and leverage philanthropic and private sector funds for the opportunities. It was clear in 2022, as it remains clear today, that Canada – and in fact many countries around the world – will not meet the Framework’s targets without engagement with and leadership by Indigenous communities and governments. What differentiates the PFPs in Canada from recent PFPs in South America, for example, is that they are Indigenous-designed and led. The Indigenous governments and communities leading the development of the PFPs are rights holders with varying governance arrangements, for example: constitutionally protected rights, negotiated treaties, reconciliation agreements, and devolution agreements and – above all of that – ancestral laws that flow from Indigenous communities’ relationships with and stewardship responsibilities for lands and waters spanning millennia. Philanthropy is playing an important role in helping finance the establishment of the PFPs alongside the Crown. Philanthropic entities are also supporting Indigenous leaders in their extensive negotiations with other levels of governments. Devika Shah of Environment Funders Canada sat down with Carolynn Beaty of the Sitka Foundation and Meaghan Calcari Campbell and Mary Turnipseed of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation – three funders who care deeply about the success of these four PFPs – to learn more. How does a PFP differ from other models of conservation? Our collective work is often plagued with challenges when partners face piecemeal or insufficient funding for managing conservation areas. The PFP model overcomes that reality by providing all the funding needed at once, with a “single close,” a concept borrowed from the financial sector for development of large projects (e.g., solar arrays). The funding model also provides the means to enable long-term stewardship, long after protections have been established. Instead of having to negotiate funding for conservation and stewardship year after year or having multiple agreements with each government, PFPs coalesce the necessary funding, along with the governance, financial, policy, regulatory commitments necessary to protect the land- and seascapes at the heart of the agreements. Comparable to agreements to finance large commercial or industrial projects, the conservation financing agreement triggers the development of the conservation project until it is fully established (“built”) and sustainable. Of course, with any large initiative, the concept of a single close or completion is a misnomer as the work continues in the community in an ongoing way to make the agreements real. One of the common themes that has surfaced through each of the four PFPs under development in Canada is how they tangibly advance reconciliation consistent with the rights, values, goals and strengths of each PFP lead organization. Each PFP is motivated by and explicit about delivering community benefits linked to Indigenous governance, local employment, business capacity, training, traditional knowledge, active monitoring and stewardship and conservation focused infrastructure. Though each PFP is different, given the specific circumstances of the communities involved, common elements include a conservation plan, a community well-being plan (also called economic diversification or a conservation economy plan), and a financial model to achieve the goals. Conservation and community benefits are fundamentally linked in these PFPs, so Indigenous leaders have been able to negotiate with Crown governments for both at the same time. We have seen that PFPs address many of the things that get individual conservation efforts stuck – from relationships and funding, to policy development and implementation, to getting the attention of the necessary levels of government. The comprehensive and holistic goals of a PFP unstick some of these challenges by working at a systems level, including, for example, engaging all the relevant departments within a Crown government rather than only one with a more narrow purview. PFPs are a momentum-building and forcing mechanism to unlock relationships, financing, and governance simultaneously. Finally, these initiatives cover whole land- and seascapes, creating more durable, integrated care and protection of the lands, waters and communities that reflect the realities and worldviews of the Indigenous communities in those regions. Why is it so important to your foundation to support this work? PFPs are so compelling because they can enable proponents and their philanthropic supporters to multi-solve for many priorities at once. Each of the proposed Canadian PFPs will protect expansive ecosystems that are largely intact, through long-term Indigenous stewardship, and deserve durable conservation and management. PFPs also provide pathways to jobs and economic prosperity in remote communities. Indigenous monitors (often called “Guardians”) care for the lands and waters, restore species at risk, conduct research, identify and maintain culturally-significant sites, and preserve and pass on Indigenous knowledge. Supporting these programs is an investment in community health and well-being, food security, language and cultural vitalization, durable conservation, and sustainable economic development. What impacts of the PFPs are you seeing so far? As the Indigenous leads work towards closing the four PFPs this year, each team has already achieved important milestones. For example, the Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network Action Plan was released in February 2023, a fundamental component of the Great Bear Sea PFP’s conservation plan. In October 2023, the Qikiqtani PFP and Northwest Territories PFP leaders signed respective Agreements in Principle with Crown governments. And, in February 2024, the Omushkego Wahkohtowin PFP team and Parks Canada jointly announced the completion of the feasibility study for the proposed National Marine Conservation Area that will be a core part of the PFP’s conservation plan. That same month, the Premier of Ontario also indicated his support for the Omushkego vision linking conservation with community prosperity and resource development. All of these steps are meaningful to communities, to partners, and reflect the unique pathway of each PFP. We see multiple entry points for government and philanthropy to engage that make it inclusive for a diversity of partners. Whether the angle through which a funder enters a PFP is climate, conservation, economic health, community wellbeing, food security or reconciliation, PFPs have those elements on their own and yet are holistic and comprehensive. The governance of the PFPs is living and breathing, and is an evolution of sometimes centuries-old government-to-government agreements. They are a real, live example of innovation and collaboration in how they are trying to problem solve. They also push Crown governments to live up to their “whole of government approach” because multiple Crown agencies are involved in the PFPs, given the numerous, complementary objectives. We’re hopeful that this sets important precedent for how to achieve Canada’s national and global commitments to Indigenous-led conservation. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole too – the four PFPs across this continent are simultaneously fostering relationships and exchanging knowledge between the Indigenous leaders. There will no doubt be much to learn from all the PFPs as they move towards closing and then implementation. PFPs are both a continuation of work and the beginning of another chapter. They present opportunities to support conservation and well-being differently – understanding that these two are one and the same. What lessons have you learned from being involved with PFPs? For insights into how the world’s first PFP in the Great Bear Rainforest has been implemented and the impacts it has achieved, the 15-year track record report can be accessed here. We have learned lessons so far as these PFPs have developed and will no doubt continue, together with the Indigenous leads. Most importantly, philanthropic funding can be catalytic and can leverage Crown governments that have significantly more capital. Philanthropic funding commitments made in early 2022 provided assurance to the Indigenous PFP proponents that the philanthropic sector believed in the visions and would come through with full support. These early commitments were critical in building confidence that any contributions by the federal government would be leveraged, helping secure the federal government’s December 2022 announcement of up to $800 million for the PFPs. Donors and implementation partners are learning what it means to be supporting Indigenous-led conservation. As conservation funders, partners have often reminded us that they are motivated by the community benefits of the PFPs as much as, if not more, than the conservation benefits. PFP funders are learning what communities have known all along, that in the PFP regions, if ecosystems are healthy, the people are healthy, and vice versa. The four Canadian PFPs provide an important opportunity for conservation, community development, and climate funders to learn more about and to value the holistic benefits of these initiatives. PFP might be the term that we are using today to bring all these mutual interests together, but these visions have existed within Indigenous communities since time immemorial. Philanthropy and Crown governments will come and go, but these communities will be carrying their visions forward for years to come. What message do you have for other funders about why they should fund PFPs? Over 10 EFC members have pledged, granted, or are contemplating grants between $50,000 and $10M to one or more of the four new Canadian PFPs. Given remaining gaps in fundraising and the scale, breadth, leadership, and transformational potential of these initiatives, there is space for more engagement by EFC members and opportunity for funders to indicate their support for Indigenous-led efforts. We see strength in numbers. We have been privileged to witness the momentum of PFPs first-hand. Canadian philanthropic support for these PFPs increases their durability and demonstrates domestic and global Canadian leadership. By getting involved, donors have the opportunity to fund and learn from the incredible Indigenous entities working to manifest the transformative conservation and community well-being visions guiding their efforts. This is an invitation for funders to be in relationship with Indigenous leaders and communities. A lot of funders express an interest in building relationships and learning, but often don’t know where to start. PFPs are a great way to join a community of funders who are learning together so that we can all achieve greater impact with the funds we steward. We’re proud that the organizations we work for are committing resources to the PFPs and to learning together over time to be more effective grantmakers and partners. We hope more funders will join us. Share This Article LinkedIn Email
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