Wild Buffalo Summit: A First Gathering of Peers

August 25, 2025

Photo © K. Mihalcheon.

By Ruiping Luo

Read the PDF version here.

In Calgary, on a cold February day, visitors who had braved the biting wind and icy roads gathered in Alberta Wilderness Association’s offices to discuss bison, or buffalo, on the Canadian prairies. These visitors came from across the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, representing Indigenous and non-Indigenous interests, and bringing a diversity of thought on the cultural, historical, ecological, and economic importance of bison.

The Wild Buffalo Summit aimed to begin a conversation on plains buffalo (plains bison) status and rematriation in Canada, and to build and strengthen Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships. Ceremony was woven throughout the event, and the discussion opened with a prayer and smudge by a Kainai elder, followed by a warm welcome from the hosts and co-chairs.

Sheltered from the snow, and in the modest conference room, the conversation came. Here, we heard from Indigenous nations in each province, describing their experiences with rematriating buffalo, their hardships and preparation, and the healing and community in returning bison to their lands. We heard also about the loss of grasslands and the impact to Treaty rights, about the work done to restore prairies and species, and about Indigenous approaches to stewardship. Bison are important as a keystone species and in healing the land, and working on and obtaining approvals for buffalo can be difficult when they are not acknowledged as an endangered species.

In smaller groups, we had open and honest conversations about the role of bison from Indigenous perspectives; groups discussed their classification as wild or domestic animals, the importance of buffalo in economic development and food sovereignty for Indigenous nations, restoring relationships and culture, and conservation perspectives.

From ranchers, there were stories about managing their herds, and about working with and learning from others in the ranching and Indigenous communities. A Kainai rancher spoke to the health benefits of buffalo, and shared concerns for politics interfering with raising herds. Bison associations, representing producers in Canada and Alberta, addressed the economic and genetic aspects, and their interest in collaborating with Indigenous peoples. They gave their perspectives to listing the species as wildlife or as endangered, because of concerns with trade and with policy. Still, everyone at the summit remained in support of increasing and expanding bison herds across Canada.

Policy was a complicated issue. Beyond the difference in opinion over whether bison should be wildlife or livestock, participants explored the possibility of dual classification, already in practice for bison in some regions. An expert in law suggested it would be unhelpful to think of legislation as a dichotomy, and that there were often exceptions to laws. Legislation can affect management; in Elk Island, wood bison must be managed to meet the requirements of the federal recovery strategy, while plains bison lacks the same requirements. Also expressed was the need to integrate Indigenous voices and perspectives in policy.

Non-profit allies are working to support these efforts, through advocacy for buffalo reintroduction and collaborative efforts to protect and restore grasslands, as Alberta Wilderness Association has been involved in, or through land acquisition and co-management, as the land trust Nature Conservancy of Canada is involved in.

There will still be hardships ahead. There are still many more conversations that need to be had, and this summit was only the beginning. If bison are to return to the landscape, we will need to find a way to work together towards this goal.