Carbon offsets and First Nations in British Columbia
A comparison of pre-Treaty and post-Treaty land title and authority for First Nations pursuing carbon offsets in British Columbia will be filtered through three themes: property rights, shared decision-making and forest governance. The Indian Act (1876) has unclear jurisdiction for pursuing carbon offsets. The Haida Reconciliation Protocol-Kunst’aa guu-Kunst’aayah (2009), Coastal First Nations Reconciliation Protocol (2010) and Nanwakolas First Nations Reconciliation Protocol (2011) address this grey area and achieve protocols that provide certainty for carbon rights.