Guardians of the land: From conservation to conversation: Interview with Valérie Courtois, Ilnu from the community of Mashteuiatsh and Director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative/ Guardianes de la tierra: de la conservación a la conversación: Entrevista con Valérie Courtois, Ilnu de la comunidad Mashteuiatsh y directora de la Initiative de leadership autochtone/Gardiens et gardiennes de la terre: de la conservation à la conversation: Entrevue avec Valérie Courtois, Ilnu de la communauté de

While the cultural responsibility of Indigenous Peoples towards their territories dates back thousands of years, it is now embodied in the implementation of Indigenous protected and conservation areas, led by the men and women who are their stewards. As stepping stones towards greater control over the territory and its development, these initiatives offer particularly promising avenues for the protection and transmission of a heritage that is essentially defined as a way of living and relating to the world. To better grasp this trend and the spirit behind it, the following interview was conducted with Valérie Courtois, Ilnu from Mashteuiatsh and now director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative. Highlighting her own journey as an Ilnu woman in forestry, territorial planning and environmental conservation, her words shed new light on the fundamental role of Indigenous knowledge in the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity.