Conference: Elevating Indigenous Knowledges in Ecology

Ecological Society Of America, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

For all its advances over the last century, ecology is a relative newcomer as a formal scientific discipline. Ecologists have developed sophisticated methods and cutting-edge technologies to study the complexities of nature. Even so, the records they rely on do not go very far back in time, which means that ecologists have a relatively limited view of natural phenomena. Indigenous knowledges (IKs), or Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK), in contrast, provide a much deeper and more holistic perspective on particular places. These ecological viewpoints allowed Indigenous communities to survive and thrive for millennia prior to European colonization. The importance of such knowledge has been illustrated in several well-publicized cases, such as fire management in forests of the western United States and Australia. Ecologists have generally not embraced IKs, but that is beginning to change. The central problem is that most ecologists do not encounter IKs in their training, nor do they understand the social and ethical challenges in collaborating with Indigenous communities and knowledge holders. The goal of this workshop is to build a path to IK for ecologists in a way that benefits both scientific inquiry and Indigenous communities. This workshop will bring together Indigenous scholars and professionals to discuss how to accelerate awareness of the roles of IKs to achieve a better understanding of the natural world and how to do so in a mutually beneficial, reciprocal way. The workshop will include well-established scholars and professionals, as well as graduate students and early career individuals. Participants will suggest key elements that all ecologists should know, and areas of concern, such as Indigenous rights and sovereignty, knowledge/data sovereignty, cultural respect, and social and economic issues. Participants will assemble these elements into a draft outline to be presented to the broader ecological community during an open workshop at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America. The draft outline, plus feedback from the open workshop will be compiled and disseminated through venues such as publications, webinars and one-page summaries. These products can be incorporated into professional development activities for ecologists at all career stages and will serve as a seed for continued conversations. Equally important, the resulting products will increase diverse representation and inclusion in the conduct of scientific research and knowledge creation and will expand the research capacity of Indigenous communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.