Open Collections

Mai, Khoi

University of British Columbia

This study investigates existing and historical arrangements between the commercial forestry industry and Indigenous communities in British Columbia (BC) with the goal of defining what constitutes a good agreement and identifying factors that contribute to a good agreement. During the study, I conducted a literature review assessing existing information relevant to the Indigenous industry partnerships in the BC forest industry that included identifying the appropriate theory through which I could examine the basis for these types of agreements and important factors that could affect how they operate. On this basis, I conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with key informants along with observing many more participants in a wide range of settings, including meetings and conferences. There were three distinct target groups for this study: First Nations entities engaged in forestry, government regulators, and the BC commercial forest industry. Interviews focused on the types of arrangements being developed, how the agreements were made, and what conditions or factors lead to good agreements which Indigenous partners view through the lens of a relationship. This research identified factors that contribute to good agreements, common barriers to developing good agreements and what is involved in building good relationships. Based on the findings, it is argued that investing in relationships through the development of trust, governance, and cultural alignment with respective partners helps to avoid roadblocks to achieving shared objectives between the various parties. This research concludes that there is economic opportunity for all partners in investigating and refining these arrangements in a fluctuating and dynamic natural, legal, and social environment.

Text; Dataset

2024-10-31

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89588

Forestry

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/