Self-Management and Government Management of Wildlife: Prospects for Coordination in James Bay and Canada

One of the most important debates in conservation today centers on whether effective linkages can be developed between indigenous systems of wildlife management and those instituted by government authorities. Such linkages must deal with the fact that both parties claim and exercise relative autonomy yet are also, in many respects, mutually dependent on each other. However simple this may sound, all conservationists trying to work with awareness of the connections between the systems of conservation must confront complex issues, ranging from recognizing the knowledge and practices of other cultures to assertions of aboriginal rights and governments to manage wildlife. Many of these issues have come to light over the past few decades in northern Québec in the relationships between the James Bay Cree and the governments of Québec and Canada.