A First Nation in Canada’s subarctic Northwest Territories has received C$1.5 million ($1.1 million) in federal funding to explore for elements on its traditional lands. The Tłı̨chǫ own a 39,000-square-kilometer (15,000-square-mile) stretch of boreal forest and tundra. On March 3, they announced a three-year prospecting project with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. Exploration will include aerial surveys, ground-based prospecting and geological data analysis. “Tłı̨chǫ lands are home to world-class under-explored mineral potential, and mining is part of our vision for Tłı̨chǫ economic self-sufficiency,” Jackson Lafferty, grand chief of the Tłı̨chǫ government, said in a statement. “Our lands are open for exploration.” Last year, the Tłı̨chǫ government signed a memorandum of understanding with Australian mining company Fortescue (ASX: FMG). Their goal is to assess the potential for lithium, cesium and tantalum. The region is already home to large-scale diamond mines that are scheduled to close soon. Mining is Canada’s second-largest private-sector employer of Indigenous people, according to Indigenous Services Canada, a federal government department. According to Jamie Kneen, a co-manager at national the watchdog organization Mining Watch Canada, in many similar cases Indigenous nations or governments are not in a genuine ownership position and can be used as framing to sidestep formal consent mechanisms. He added that the deal behind this mining venture has not been made publicly available, so the exact terms of the agreement are not known. Kneen also highlighted concerns over the environmental impacts of more industrial mining ventures in the region and the potential habitat loss…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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