Inclusion of indigenous local knowledge in social-environmental assessments and decision making above the local level

Abstract

The importance of indigenous local knowledge in providing valuable information for assessments and decision-making, as well as the role of the indigenous and local practices and institutions for the sustainable management of their territories, has been increasingly recognized by science and policy. However, the challenges of including this knowledge at levels above local/community level persist. This project aims to investigate (i) whether and how indigenous local knowledge has been used in the understanding of socioecological transformations at different levels and scales; and (ii) the pros, cons and possible ways to include it in macro-assessments and decision making on multiple levels of spatial and sociopolitical scales. The project will be carried out on three fronts: (i) interviews with experts who participated in the macro-assessments of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BPBES); (ii) analysis of secondary data and interviews with case study researchers involving indigenous and local communities in socio-environmental management above the local level (cases will be selected from the databases of projects and research networks in which the proponent has been involved in the last decade); (iii) field research in indigenous communities involved in the monitoring and management of the Mackenzie River basin (Canada), under the Tracking Change Initiative - led by Dr. Parlee of the University of Alberta where the project will be developed. The primary data collection is based on a semi-structured interview with researchers, knowledge holders and public managers, as well as on multiple research methods for the field work. The data analysis will be done by the information triangulation technique based on the Grounded Theory. (AU)