MSE Public Lecture - Barbara Cosens
Please join us as we welcome Barbara Cosens
Thursday, March 9 @ 6:00 pm
Rutherford Physics Building Room 112
Admission is free and all are welcome.
Indigenous Capacity and Self-Determination in the Review of the Columbia River Treaty: The role of law, resilience, and reconciliation
The Columbia River basin is a living laboratory to explore the participation of Indigenous peoples in a major transboundary dialogue, the role of law in building Indigenous capacity, and the benefits of inclusion of an Indigenous voice and traditional knowledge to achieving social-ecological resilience. The review of the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada has triggered not only rethinking of the development, management and restoration of ecological function of an international river, but of who should play a role in decisions regarding its future. This talk will use the current review of the Columbia River Treaty as a window on the role of law in capacity building among Indigenous populations, how that has shaped the review and opened the door to reconciliation not only of the diverse peoples of the river basin, but of societal needs and a functioning ecosystem.