Tribes and Native communities are on the front lines of climate change, experiencing extreme weather, rising sea levels, extended drought, warming temperatures, and melting permafrost. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report demonstrates that climate change affects Indigenous peoples more severely and earlier than other populations. Many tribes and Native communities are located in remote and coastal locations, which increases their vulnerabilities to flooding and wildfire. Furthermore, subsistence and cultural practices rely on healthy ecosystems that are stewarded by Native peoples. To support climate action that addresses adaptation and disaster preparation First Nations established the second project under its newly created Climate Initiative, Advancing Tribal Nature-Based Solutions. This project is designed to provide tribes and Native nonprofits with resources to support climate action that addresses adaptation and disaster preparation (e.g., wildfires, flooding, drought) through the application of nature-based solutions based on Native knowledge.
Nature-based solutions rely on animals, plants, and the environment to protect ecosystems and support human well-being and local biodiversity. Examples include:
Clam bed restoration to address flooding and beach erosion
Reintroduction of ecocultural plants to prevent erosion
Beaver restoration to promote water retention and carbon sequestration
Cultural burning to prevent sustain biodiversity
Grass farming to address desertification
First Nations is now accepting applications under our Stewarding Native Lands program for projects that aim to grow tribal capacity and programming to employ and monitor community-, culture-, and nature-based approaches. First Nations expects to award 6 grants up to $200,000 each to eligible tribes and organizations.
Grant support is made possible through funding from the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and First Nations’ Tribal Lands Conservation Fund.