Tara Atleo, haḥuuła, joins UBC Forestry as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forest Resources Management and will play a key role in our newly launched Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship program.
Tell us about yourself!
ʔułaasiš haḥuuła. Histatḥsiš ʕaaḥuuʔsaḥt, maaʔuuʔas ƛaqišpiił. ʔuḥuks ʔumiiqsu naniʕałnuuk, ʔuḥuks m̓am̓iiqsu ʕiikatiiʔus, ʔuḥuks naniiqsu ʔumiik.
My name is Tara Atleo, haḥuuła, and I come from the Ahousaht First Nation, house of ƛaqišpiił. The Ahousaht haḥuułii (territories) are on the west coast of Vancouver Island and we speak a dialect of the nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) language.
Prior to joining the Faculty of Forestry, I was working with the BC Ministry of Lands, Water and Resource Stewardship on the land use planning and stewardship initiatives teams, and as a practitioner and consultant on sustainable development and resource management initiatives in Indigenous territories. I consider myself a stewardship economist and am interested in a more comprehensive approach to economic considerations on the land base and how they can empower Indigenous law and governance.
What drew you to your work?
During my undergraduate degree I worked on an ecotourism community development project in my home community. This allowed me to live in my community and build sustainable and meaningful employment opportunities for others while helping to steward the territories. The business courses I was taking were helpful for this work, but there were consistent gaps between what I was learning at university and the application I was experiencing in the territories.
My interest was piqued when working through my first few economics courses; I felt like there was an opportunity for the economics I was learning to serve what we were working on in the territories, but it needed an enhanced approach that spoke to a cultural mandate and to our Indigenous laws. This interest has guided me through my academic and professional pursuits and is the foundation of what I plan to build on while at UBC.
What do you hope to achieve through your work at UBC?
I believe that to appropriately explore the importance and intricacies of Indigenous-led stewardship it is critical to have that applied on-the-ground practitioner approach, paired with the theoretical understanding necessary to conduct foundational change. Through my work at UBC, I hope to explore and legitimize the empowerment of Indigenous law and governance in economic considerations for land-based decision-making in a way that directly supports communities’ work within their territories.
What attracted you to UBC/UBC Forestry?
It is a privilege to work and learn on the beautiful territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqeam people. The partnerships and deep connection to the lands and waters can be felt through this campus and through the significant and innovative work being done here. Within the Faculty of Forestry specifically, people speak about their research and collaborations with infectious passion and it’s clear that there is a culture of supporting people to explore and create tangible and thoughtful change.
What are you most looking forward to in the Faculty of Forestry?
I’m most looking forward to connecting with all of the high-calibre fine folks within the Faculty of Forestry and getting started!