‘The coast is our lifeblood’: First Nation launches ‘world class’ Marine Protected Area – CFN

June 22, 2022

‘We’ve been here for thousands of years’

The Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation has declared a first-of-its-kind Marine Protected Area (MPA) for Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay), a sacred area in the heart of their traditional territory, significant to the community’s health, culture and economy.

Gitdisdzu Lugyeks is a permanent 33.5-square-kilometre ocean protection zone in Kitasoo Xai’xais traditional territories near Laredo Sound, 500 kilometres north of Vancouver.

“We know these lands and waters better than anyone, Kitasu Bay has been part of our home for thousands of years through to the present day. The coast is our lifeblood,” says Hereditary Chief Nies’los (Kelly Robinson) in a press release the Nation made publicly available on June 22.

Read More: https://coastalfirstnations.ca/the-coast-is-our-lifeblood-first-nation-launches-world-class-marine-protected-area/