Canada's government has committed to AU$864 million of funding for Indigenous-led conservation projects over the next seven years.
The funding, announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week, will support projects to be carried out under First Nations leadership in an area of Canada roughly 1,000km2 in size.
Mr Trudeau told a media roundtable in Montreal that Indigenous leadership in conservation "is a really good thing".
"We are putting forward a new model around conservation with Indigenous-led protections with government participation, and even drawing in private sector and philanthropic initiatives because it is powerful," he said.
"What we're able to do here is not just show a story of conservation, but a story of reconciliation, about recognising that it's these partnerships that are going to be essential going forward."
In Australia, Indigenous Protected Areas account for more than half of Australia's reserves, and have demonstrated a world-class level of environmental care.
Repeatedly international studies have found Indigenous people have the best expertise for protecting biodiversity and natural environments.
A 2021 reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC) found, based on a review of more than 300 studies, Indigenous leadership delivered significantly better outcomes for conservation.
At the time The Guardian reported FILAC president Myrna Cunningham, an indigenous woman from Nicaragua, said the evidence of the vital role of indigenous people in conservation was "crystal clear".
"While the area of intact forest declined by only 5% between 2000 and 2016 in the region's indigenous areas, in the non-indigenous areas it fell by 11%. This is why (indigenous peoples') voice and vision should be taken into account in all global initiatives relating to climate change, biodiversity and forestry," she said.
In Canada, a recent First Nations-led project in British Columbia saw improved outcomes for the endangered caribou.
