We are all connected: Globalization and community sustainability in the boreal forest, an Aboriginal perspective

This paper summarizes my personal perspective on the impacts of globalization on the sustainability of aboriginal communities. Globalization affects communities through changes to the land and the plants and animals it supports, the demographic profiles of the people increasingly through migration, their lifestyles, the persistence of their language and philosophy to living on the land, and their values. At the same time the people are learning to develop businesses, improve community services, and protect their interests through international recognition of their rights. Success in dealing with globalization will depend on the ability of the communities to develop a) appropriate systems of governance, b) mechanisms to accommodate their traditions in the context of contemporary culture, c) networks from the local to international levels, and most importantly d) their own capacities so that they no longer rely on the external "expert/consultant." The forest sector has a role to play in this process by developing a true partnership with the communities on whose land they hope to operate. This includes getting to know the people and their values, treating their knowledge with respect, and assisting them to develop their own capacities. Acting on the fact that we are all connected means that these partnerships will work to our mutual benefit. The distance we have to travel to make these changes may be as little as 6.