Indigenous Peoples and the Collaborative Stewardship of Nature: Knowledge Binds and Institutional Conflicts
Anne Ross, Richard Sherman, Jeffrey G. Snodgrass, Henry D. Delcore"In this book we build and argue a case for the utility of collaborative natural resource management partnerships between Indigenous communities and government agencies, particularly in protected natural areas. We examine the reasons why Indigenous peoples and their knowledge about natural systems are so often denied a place at the natural resource management table. We critically evaluate a range of methods and procedures that have been enacted over recent years in which Indigenous peoples and their knowledge have been ostensibly integrated into mainstream natural resource management. We particularly focus on so-called co-management agreements, which have gained such popularity in recent years. Despite the promise of the various forms that co-management has taken, our research demonstrates that these supposed ‘modern’, ‘scientific’, and ‘progressive’ methods and approaches generally perpetuate epistemological and institutional barriers to the recognition and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and practices related to natural resource stewardship."