Framing Indigenous Bioenergy Partnerships

Abstract

The rapidly expanding forest bioenergy sector in Canada promises to support low carbon energy options that also support economic development and Indigenous involvement. Little empirical research has been conducted on Indigenous participation in forest bioenergy in Canada, which points to the need for a nuanced and reliable knowledge base to foster innovation in bioenergy that will contribute to community and economic development. However, before empirical research can be conducted it is important to understand the issues that influence Indigenous participation in the bioenergy sector. We therefore look to and conduct a frame analysis of allied sectors to develop insights about the policy and participatory landscape in which forest bioenergy in Canada is situated. Our analysis illustrates that identities and perspectives linked to energy and forestry can be complex and can shift depending on how business is done around such projects. Strengths in the current state of knowledge include the breadth of research regarding participatory natural resource management in Canada, particularly with regard to northern and Indigenous communities and territorial lands. Our review indicates that even the emerging bioenergy literature that exists now, when paired with that of allied sectors, can help analysts understand and make sense of energy and energy-related issues.