TRADITIONAL LAND-USE AND OCCUPANCY STUDIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON FORESTPLANNING AND MANAGEMENT IN ALBERTA

Canada is an international leader in the methodology of traditional la nd use and occupancy mapping as a result of the negotiation process fa r settling comprehensive land claims in the North. Since the early 198 0s this methodology has found increasing application in the Canadian m id-North, especially in the context of forest planning and management in the northern Alberta Forest Management Agreement (FMA) areas. The g oals of traditional land use and occupancy mapping in these FMAs inclu de collection and preservation of traditional environmental knowledge, integration of this knowledge into forest planning and management and , for the Aboriginal communities, active participation in decision-mak ing processes in order to attain sustainable forest management. While the first goal is often met in mapping projects, goals two and three a re proving harder to achieve because of conflicting government policy agendas, differing paradigms of community development in society at la rge, and the lack of recognition and legal protection for Treaty and A boriginal rights.