From the beginning of their time, the Gitga’at people have existed in their Territory, dependent upon its abundance and richness. The wellbeing of the Gitga’at community is intricately related to the health of their lands and waters and the abundance of resources therein. The Gitga’at are committed to an approach to land and marine use planning that reflects and emphasizes the need to sustain this relationship.

The Gitga’at hold three core goals in relation to their community and the lands and resources within their Territory. Flowing from these goals are eight resource planning and management objectives.

1. Build a healthy Gitga’at Community.

• Preserve and strengthen Ayalk (the ‘Law of the People’ and the ‘Way We Govern Ourselves’).
• Protect and sustain Gitga’at cultural ways and resources.
• Develop a healthy and sustainable quality of community life.

2. Protect and conserve lands, waters and resources in Gitga’at Territory.

• Initiate an ecosystem-based approach to land and resource management.
• Ensure land and resource decisions are cautious when knowledge is uncertain.
• Monitor management outcomes and revise plans with new information.

3. Build an ecologically sustainable economy for the Gitga’at community.

• Assert Gitga’at Rights and Title and interests.
• Access the benefits of resource development in the Territory while respecting the rights and needs of others.
  

To act on these goals and objectives, the Gitga’at are working on a variety of analyses, resource planning and negotiation initiatives, all geared toward developing and implementing land and marine use plans, new resource management strategies and standards and new arrangements with governments and industry. These changes will allow the Gitga’at to establish cooperative resource stewardship and further develop their economy in a sustainable fashion to meet community needs and aspirations. Ongoing monitoring which will help to develop new knowledge that will support these initiatives over time.