Land Management Studies

Start a career in land management. Help protect the land and future generations with responsible and sustainable development. 

A Career In Land Management Studies

Four Manitoba Uske members networking at a game of golf

A career in land management is an exciting opportunity for Indigenous people to create brighter futures for themselves, their families and their nations. 

Indigenous peoples have always been stewards of the land, respecting the resources and using them responsibly. Land managers play a vital role in helping First Nations develop those resources whether it is an office building, a recreation centre or tourist facility, a mine or an urban commercial and residential development. 

Land managers ensure that development takes place in a sustainable way. We must make sure the decisions we make today will maintain the integrity of our land, water and other natural resources for generations to come. 

Just as every town and city has a planning department, so every First Nation should have a robust land management system, staffed with qualified personnel. 

While land managers work within First Nations’ governments, they are not politicians. Land managers follow the professional guidelines they learn from extensive training as well as their own experience on the job. Land managers serve successive governments and generations, providing wise advice as to how their First Nation should develop residential, commercial, industrial and recreational facilities. 

Land managers are also important liaisons between their First Nation’s government and other levels of government. They must work with representatives of federal, provincial and municipal governments and understand how First Nations laws and needs intersect with those of other governments. 

Five Manitoba Uske members at drone training in a field

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What You’ll Learn

What You’ll Learn

Manitoba USKE works with NALMA to provide access to land management studies programs across the country. Each one varies, but in general each program will provide instruction in the following areas:

  • basic environmental, legal and economic aspects of land and resource management in Aboriginal communities. 
  • The ethics of land management
  • communications, computers, time management, leadership, research, and project management.
Programs Through NALMA

Programs Through NALMA

Manitoba USKE offers access to a wide variety of land management studies courses and programs. 

NALMA offers courses in the following areas: 

  • Environmental Unit 
    Students will develop new understandings of the tools and resources related to environmental management. Courses will draw from recent legislation and current best practices regarding environmental management on reserve lands and traditional territories. 
  • Land Use Planning Unit
    Land use planning studies focus on how decisions are made in community and reserve development. You’ll learn how First Nations decide on where houses, parks, schools and other developments should be located. You will also learn what infrastructure – such as water, hydroelectric service and sewage – is required and how to plan for those. 
  • Professional Development Unit 
    NALMA offers a Professional Lands Management Certification Program. This program is used across Canada to signify that a land manager meets specific criteria to do his or her job and has kept current in the field. Land managers must adhere to a professional Code of Ethics. Students must complete two levels of studies before receiving their certification – Level One: Post-Secondary Training and Level Two: Technical Training.
  • Survey Unit
    Students will develop an understanding of surveys of Indian Reserves and their related products, records and systems. The student will understand concepts of location boundaries, survey posts, as well as surveying terminology. 
  • Specialized Training
    NALMA offers a range of specialized training courses for land managers. 
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