Indigenous conservation could mean richer wildlife tourism in Canada – National Geographic

March 16, 2022

Our raft bobs down the Atnarko River in British Columbia’s lush Great Bear Rainforest, one of Earth’s largest remaining temperate rainforests. As we round a rocky strand of riverbank, a young grizzly bear and her two cubs emerge from the canary grass. They march single file alongside us—a little too close for comfort.

Years of backcountry hiking—and established safety protocols for avoiding grizzlies—tell me to put more space between us. But a recent Canadian study, developed in collaboration with First Nations groups, suggests that humans may have once shared a closer relationship with bears, one based on resource reciprocity rather than fear.

Read More: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/indigenous-conservation-could-mean-richer-wildlife-tourism-in-canada