BIO
Andrea Lyall, PhD Candidate and Registered Professional Forester (RPF) has over 18 years of natural resources management experience and has worked directly with over 30 indigenous communities with their forestry initiatives in British Columbia, Washington, Alaska and Ontario. Andrea joined UBC Faculty of Forestry in 2012 as Aboriginal Initiatives Coordinator and instructs a third-year course, Aboriginal Forestry. By provincial order in council, Andrea was appointed to the Forest Practices Board of British Columbia for a third and final term in 2012. She is a member of the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation that is 1 of 15 Nations that make up the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw (translates into Kwak̓wala speaking peoples) on the midcoast of British Columbia.
PROJECT SUMMARY
July 2016, Andrea began her fieldwork for a PhD dissertation that will look at an indigenous perspective of the forests and how forest governance could become more culturally relevant. Using indigenous and transformative methodologies this study will engage the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis citizens in participatory action research. This research will consider sustainable land use that provides for a local economy and protects traditional uses of the forests. Most of the Kwakwakwa’wakw Nation is not within the 80% of the forests to be protected in the Great Bear Rainforest.