Growing Roots: An Indigenous-Led Review of the Canadian Land Trust Standards & Practices
The Canadian Land Trust Standards & Practices (S&Ps) — the voluntary standards that guide land trusts across the country — were developed without formal Indigenous governance or oversight. The 2019 Standards named this gap and called for an Indigenous review. Growing Roots is how the Centre for Land Conservation (CLC) is carrying that commitment forward.
This work starts from a simple premise: an Indigenous review should not just ask how Indigenous perspectives can be layered onto an existing system. It opens space for deeper questions — about Indigenous rights and responsibilities, laws and legal orders, governance and accountability, relationships to land and water, and the different ways conservation itself can be understood.
Since 2025, CLC has been listening and learning alongside Indigenous leaders working across conservation, resource management, standards and certification, law, and public policy. Those conversations have shaped three research streams: Emerging Roots, looking at how land trusts currently approach Indigenous relations and reconciliation; Pollinating Seedlings, drawing lessons from Indigenous accountability frameworks in other sectors; and Growing Gardens, learning from Nations and land trusts already building new relationships and governance models together. Together, these streams offer a starting point — not a predetermined destination.
Launching Growing Roots’ Collaborative Research Committee: A Call for Nominations
The next step is bringing together a primarily Indigenous Collaborative Research Committee to consider what this research is telling us, what it may be missing, and what questions still need to be asked. The Committee is not being asked to endorse a predetermined model, and it is not meant to represent all Indigenous Peoples, Nations, or communities; each member will contribute from their own knowledge, experience, and relationships.
We are inviting nominations and self-nominations from now through October 6, 2026. Click below for full details on time commitment, honorarium, and how to submit a nomination.
A Shared Understanding, Shaped Together
A draft Shared Understanding has been developed to guide how the Committee works together, including its commitment to consensus-based decision-making, Indigenous data sovereignty (OCAP®), and consent before any member’s contributions are shared or attributed. Prospective members are invited to review the draft before joining; once the Committee comes together, its members will hold final authority over shaping and finalizing it.
Questions? Contact us anytime at [info@centreforlandconservation.org]
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