The Future Has to Be Green Indeed: Rethinking Protected Areas, Food Sovereignty and Conservation in Canada

Dr. Courtney Mason is a featured speaker in the Inaugural Professorial Lecture series, which provides an opportunity for the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Kamloops communities to meet professors and gain an understanding of their work in an online public lecture. 

Mason, a professor and Canada Research Chair, Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Communities, examines how the creation of parks promoted the loss of ancestral territories and culture in many Indigenous communities. He looks at how protected areas might strengthen the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and ecosystems by reconciling colonial histories, integrating conservation policies that support food sovereignty and enhancing sustainable development.

His lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 22, “The Future Has to Be Green Indeed: Rethinking Protected Areas, Food Sovereignty and Conservation in Canada,” highlights grassroots, Indigenous-led conservation practices that are drawn from his two decades of collaborative work with Indigenous communities in rural Canada and internationally.

The Scratch Cafe in the Culinary Arts Training Centre is open for public in-person viewing. Please RSVP to reserve your seat. 

Viewers are also invited to watch live on YouTube from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.