Project Regeneration

What is meant by federal and Indigenous co-stewardship of national lands? Two distinct landscapes in opposite corners of the United States demonstrate what this collaboration can look like. The Northwest Forest Plan, a thirty-year-old landscape management blueprint that covers roughly one-third (24.5 million acres) of the nation’s old-growth forests, is about to get a major update. The US Forest Service convened an advisory committee this year to determine a set of recommendations to address the urgent issues of wildfire and climate change. The result includes 113 recommendations for tribal inclusion, as Indigenous knowledge and perspectives were absent from the original plan. The committee advised the Forest Service to promote Indigenous co-management while respecting tribal sovereignty and treaty rights such as cultural burning and access to vital cultural resources. Meanwhile, down in Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians recently signed a historic agreement with the National Park Service regarding the co-stewardship of Everglades National Park. This partnership establishes cooperative administration of fire and water resources and visitor services at the park. Across the United States, all national parks exist on traditional Indigenous lands, and in some cases, Native communities were directly evicted to create the parks. Do you have a favorite national park? Learn who the original stewards of those lands are and advocate for their rights to co-stewardship. https://lnkd.in/g9dj8Xsb Contributors: Anna Steltenkamp, Project Regeneration Writer-Researcher blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo

Seaweed forests, made up of large macroalgae such as kelps and rockweeds, are efficient at storing carbon. Some of it is transported to deep ocean sinks, effectively removing it from the atmosphere. A recent study posited that the protection, restoration, and improved management of kelp and seaweed forests globally could provide mitigation benefits in the range of 36 million tons of CO2, equivalent to the CO2-capturing capacity of over a billion trees. Restoring these forests can bring back vital habitats for diverse marine life, boosting local fisheries while drawing down carbon from the atmosphere. These approaches would benefit fisheries, protect coastal communities, and restore marine dead zones while removing billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually: https://lnkd.in/gRmAatfi Photo Credit: Alex Mustard via naturepl.com

Thank you for noticing! We worked hard on bringing in this holistic perspective on climate solutions this year. Hope it's useful.