Understanding Indigenous knowledge of conservation and stewardship before implementing co-production with Western methodologies in resource management: A focus on fisheries and aquatic ecosystems

2025/01/01 by Stafford Maracle, Jennifer Maracle, Stephen C. Lougheed · 1 voice · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Fish biology, ecology, and behavior #Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights #Indigenous Studies and Ecology

paper · pdf · doi:10.5304/jafscd.2025.141.024

openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/01/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11

Abstract

In the face of an increasing global human popula­tion and multiple anthropogenic environmental stressors including climate change, the limitations of relying solely on Western science and ap­proaches to mitigating impacts, conserving bio­diversity, and managing resources sustainably is apparent. Many Indigenous Peoples have lived sus­tainably as part of their respective environments for millennia, passing conservation and manage­ment practices down generations despite coloniza­tion and genocide. Long-standing Indigenous knowledge and philosophies offer alternate world­views that can complement Western con­servation and resource management and may strengthen efforts to restore environmental integ­rity and conserve species and ecosystems. Researchers often tout the co-production of knowledge with Indigenous collaborators using frameworks like the Kaswentha (Two Row Wampum—Haudenosau­nee) and the Etuaptmumk (Two Eyed Seeing—Mi’kmaw) without first seek­ing to understand the foundations of Indigenous knowledge itself, and its deep roots in environmen­tal sustainability. We develop a thesis of the embed­ded relational nature of Indigenous knowledges and the unique strengths and perspectives that must be understood before effective and ethical co-production can be possible. We contend that Indigenous knowledge must be treated as a distinct framework to inform conservation and stewardship of biodiversity and nature, rather than selectively integrating it into Western science. Building rela­tionships with local Indigenous nations will help actualize sustainable practices that are rooted in millennia of empirical data. This will help to pro­mote a shift toward a holistic and relational worldview for more impact­ful conservation action.

Citations

• Anecdotes and the shifting baseline syndrome of fisheries
• Shifting baseline syndrome: causes, consequences, and implications
• Connecting Science to Indigenous Knowledge: kaitiakitanga, conservation, and resource management
• Contributions of Indigenous Knowledge to ecological and evolutionary understanding

Cited by

• Extirpation of Lake Sturgeon in an Ontario Lake Following Dam Construction and Watershed Diversion Confirmed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Sedimentary eDNA

Discussions

• We must value the relationality, methodology, and cultural reverence embedded within Indigenous knowledge to co-produce conservation efforts capable of sustaining healthy ecosystems for future generat [bsky, 2 points, 0 comments]

Related

• Contributions of Indigenous Knowledge to ecological and evolutionary understanding
• Evolving wildlife management cultures of governance through Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives
• Connecting Science to Indigenous Knowledge: kaitiakitanga, conservation, and resource management
• Scientists' Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems
• Inclusivity of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Fisheries Management