Through nature-directed stewardship planning, we support Indigenous Peoples in reclaiming governance of their lands and waters, while advancing conservation and restoration to address Canada’s biodiversity crisis.
What is nature-directed stewardship?
Nature-directed stewardship is an ecosystem-based approach to conservation and land-use planning developed by Herb Hammond. The approach focuses on two priorities in the following order:
- Maintain and/or restore ecological integrity and resilience across spatial and temporal scales
- Establish diverse, ecologically sustainable community-based economies
Visual representation of sustainable economies existing within cultures, which exist within ecosystems. A healthy ecosystem is needed to support healthy cultures and sustainable economies. Figure adapted from Herb Hammond’s Maintaining Whole Systems on Earth’s Crown: Ecosystem-Based Conservation Planning for the Boreal Forest (2009).
To achieve these priorities, we start from large spatial scales and work towards smaller ones to:
- Assess ecosystem character and condition
- Describe ecosystem patterns, processes, and ecological limits
- Design networks of ecological and cultural protected areas
- Identify priority areas for restoration
- Determine what resources to use in ecologically sustainable, community-based economies
Using a collaborative approach, the David Suzuki Foundation provides technical support, expertise, and training, where appropriate, for nature-directed stewardship planning, helping to advance Indigenous-led conservation and restoration. We are working with several First Nations throughout the country to support their visions for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use for their territories.
Contact us to learn more or explore potential collaborations at contact@davidsuzuki.org
Our Team
Beverly McClenaghan, MSc
Beverly (she/her) is a Forest/Landscape Ecologist. She brings over ten years of experience leading biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem management projects in Canada and around the world. These projects included multi-partner forest restoration initiatives, protected areas planning with Crown governments, as well as species at risk assessments and ecosystem health monitoring programs co-developed with Indigenous communities. She has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Trent University. She has been working at DSF since 2025.
Jackie Ng, MGEM
Jackie Ng (they/them) is a Spatial Analysis and Cartography Specialist. They joined DSF in 2023 after graduating with a Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management from the University of British Columbia. They have experience working on projects leveraging the power of machine learning and remote sensing to map ecosystems, translating interdisciplinary knowledge into tools, and developing innovative ways to tell stories with spatial data. In their current role, they are leading the collection and analysis of spatial data, the coordination of community participatory mapping workshops, and the development of new visualizations and interactive web-mapping tools to share spatial data with communities for several of our partners.
Rachel Plotkin, MES
Rachel Plotkin (she/her) has been working with the nature-directed stewardship team since its inception at DSF. She’s worked for over twenty years to advance wildlife habitat protection, through advocacy, government relations, science and recommended changes to industrial resource extraction practices. She has done a number of collaborative partnerships with Decolonizing Water, including two video series and two reports. She holds a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University and is in her 19th year at the David Suzuki Foundation.
Nikita Wallia, BSc
Nikita Wallia (she/her) is a Spatial Analysis and Cartography Specialist with over seven years experience making maps that communicate the impacts of the biodiversity and climate crises. She graduated with a BSc in Geography from the University of British Columbia in 2017. At the David Suzuki Foundation she leads and engages in stewardship, spatial planning and restoration projects that center community voices, values and knowledge. Previously she was a field technician collecting multispectral aerial imagery on solar PV performance. She is interested in how habitat, fire and water are impacted by forest health.