Aboriginal expectations and perceived effectiveness of forest management practices and forest certification in Ontario

The paper aims to develop a better understanding of Aboriginal peoples' expectations of the forest environment, and their perceptions of forest planning and management operations on Crown forestlands. The paper also examines the variation in Aboriginal expectations and perceptions across different Aboriginal communities, communities with certified and non-certified forests, three primary user groups (Traditional users, Commercial users, and Leadership), and Aboriginal people with and without knowledge of certification. The understanding is developed on the basis of data from five First Nations, two having FSC-certified forests and three having non-certified forests, all from Ontario. Data were collected using Conceptual Cognitive Content Mapping (3CM) techniques, and were analyzed using various non-parametric statistical tests, including the Freidman test, Sign test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. We conclude that Aboriginal people place the highest importance on a group of expectations related to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and the second highest on Environmental Values and SFM-related expectations. Expectations related to Participatory Decision-Making and Economic Opportunities and Development are ranked at the same importance level, but of lower importance than Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and Environmental Values and SFM. Aboriginal people generally perceive that forest management is meeting their expectations related to Environmental Values and SFM better than it is meeting their expectations related to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, Participatory Decision-Making, and Economic Opportunities and Development. Forest certification is perceived to be as important as First Nation negotiations with the Ontario government, Negotiation with industry, Improved business/profitability outlook for the forest industry, Court cases and legal decisions, and Aboriginal claims filed with the federal government.