Community Aspects of Akiing Azhenan

The Bois Forte land re-acquisition is a major step toward righting a historical wrong. The project creates opportunities for the Band to increase their land base, deepen their cultural connections to the land, reacquaint youth with cultural land stewardship practices, improve food security, protect culturally-important species, and preserve healthy woodlands. The project is applying Verra’s Climate, Community, and Biodiversity (CCB) Standard to monitor, report, and verify the project’s community and biodiversity impacts. The CCB Standard ensures that projects are designed through effective participation of the rightsholders and provide tangible positive social and environmental benefits.

Learn more about the CCB Standard in the context of this project

The CCB Standard ensures that projects are designed through effective participation of the rightsholders and provide tangible positive social and environmental benefits. Some of the main requirements include:

Community Requirements:

  • Community members are engaged in the project through full and effective participation and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). The project must develop, implement, and document a robust stakeholder engagement plan that operates throughout the life of the project to meet these requirements.
  • The project’s governance structure and decision-making process is equitable and representative.
  • The project has a culturally-appropriate, transparent, and accessible mechanism for receiving and addressing feedback and grievances.
  • The project has an equitable and transparent system for accounting for costs, revenues, and benefits and fairly distributing those among rightsholders in the project.
  • Project risks, especially to vulnerable members of the community, are identified and communicated, and the project develops effective strategies for mitigating those risks.

The Bois Forte Tribal Council has designated a Project Steering Committee, made up of Bois Forte Band members and employees from the Forestry Department, Conservation Committee, and Energy Department, to work with the Project’s technical Advisors (the National Indian Carbon Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, and TerraCarbon) to design the project. Throughout the design process, the Steering Committee will host regular opportunities to gather input and ideas from the Band members on key project elements, including the community aspects described above. If you would like to know more about the process or get involved, please reach out to Bois Forte Department of Natural Resources Director Chris Holm or Forest Programs Manager Cody Swanson.

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Community/Social Goals:

  • A tribe that is deeply rooted in sustainable traditions with promising futures for young people.
  • Balance between economic returns and natural resource value
  • Transparency and community buy-in
  • Classes and teachings on traditional medicines and management practices and opportunities for youth to learn from elders. Scholarships, internships, or summer youth programs tied to the project.

As part of the CCB Standard, the project has developed a number of key processes and policies. Follow each link below to learn more.