| Summary: | Cultural Keystone Species (CKS) have often been described in contexts related to Indigenous-led, biocultural conservation of wild species, yet very little research has explored questions around the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of Indigenous-led governance of CKS. In this thesis, I explore the foundations of the CKS concept, through conducting a scoping review of the literature, in-depth interviews with Indigenous Guardians and knowledge holders across Canada, and a collaborative case study with Miawpukek First Nation in South-Central Newfoundland. I explore some of the challenges with and opportunities for implementing the CKS concept in practice. I conduct an in-depth policy analysis of the Canadian Species at Risk Act and find that the majority of identified CKS have no form of protection under this key piece of endangered species legislation, demonstrating vulnerabilities of endangered species legislation in Canada for Indigenous Peoples. I work with Miawpukek First Nation to identify a suite of biocultural processes that set the context for the resurgent, Indigenous-led governance of CKS. Fundamentally, I argue that CKS as a biocultural approach to conservation can help to reconcile or reform existing colonial environmental policies and conventions, like the SARA and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In a parallel process, I also argue that the resurgence of Indigenous-led stewardship of CKS is critical to reestablishing healthy relationships to wild species and to conserving these species at levels of abundance that are meaningful to Indigenous Peoples given their inherent rights to hunt, fish, and harvest. I argue that reconciliation and resurgence in the context of CKS can function in parallel, complementary pathways that on the one hand seek to reform existing state policies, and on the other hand seek to amplify Indigenous-led stewardship, governance, and laws for CKS. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Environment and Climate Change Canada
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