Resources and Indigenous Peoples

A special issue of Resources (ISSN 2079-9276).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 19471

Special Issue Editor

School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3WA, UK
Interests: indigenous geography; indigenous peoples; agribusiness frontiers; environment and development; natural resources; water management; human geography; environmental governance
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The impacts of development pressures and the reactions of indigenous peoples constitute some of the most challenging questions related to justice, sustainability and resource management in the world today. Different disciplinary approaches have tried to theorise and interpret those trends, but a significant number of questions remain unanswered, suggesting that scholars and researchers need to expand and refine conceptual, ethical and methodological considerations of, among other themes, resource meaning, use and management by indigenous groups. In South America, Africa and in Asia, land grabbing and nature commodification have accelerated in the last three decades with the expansion of mining and agribusiness, which has led to the containment of the indigenous population in overcrowded reserves, road encampments and uncertain settlements. However, to the surprise of many, most indigenous groups have shown a clear ability to react and fight for their fundamental rights. Despite all the tragedy, suffering, humiliation and terrible neglect by the national state, indigenous families have managed to secure small, but precious, territorial victories. Their reactions to resource grabbing are shaped by religious practices, strong family ties and the ability to internally negotiate the return and preservation of ancestral areas. Overall, considering all the above, papers are invited for this Special Issue and should reflect on the muddled trends and challenges related to resources and indigenous peoples, which are inevitably fraught with complexities and ambiguities.

Dr. Antonio A. R. Ioris
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • land use
  • land base conflicts
  • resources and culture
  • cosmovision
  • social inclusion
  • indigenous rights
  • environment and nature
  • non-Western environmental knowledge
  • environmental justice
  • political ecology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 3156 KiB  
Article
Fragmented Landscapes and Planscapes—The Double Pressure of Increasing Natural Resource Exploitation on Indigenous Sámi Lands in Northern Sweden
by Carl Österlin and Kaisa Raitio
Resources 2020, 9(9), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9090104 - 28 Aug 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 7025
Abstract
Human induced land-use change through natural resource extraction has significant ecological, social and cultural effects for indigenous communities. Indigenous rights, cultural practices and identities are strongly interconnected with traditional lands. In northern Sweden, the cumulative effects from natural resource extraction have become increasingly [...] Read more.
Human induced land-use change through natural resource extraction has significant ecological, social and cultural effects for indigenous communities. Indigenous rights, cultural practices and identities are strongly interconnected with traditional lands. In northern Sweden, the cumulative effects from natural resource extraction have become increasingly problematic for Sámi reindeer herding. Land use planning and permit processes are organized based on single projects or policy sectors, instead of the needs and rights involving reindeer herding. Existing research has demonstrated loss of ground and arboreal lichen, fragmentation of pastures and reindeer avoidance of otherwise valuable pastures due to disturbance caused by competing land uses. There is however a lack of synthesis of the amount and scale of encroachments on traditional Sámi territories in Sweden so far. Likewise, while research has looked at weaknesses of the sectoral regulations in terms of cumulative impact assessment and the inadequate recognition of Sámi reindeer herding rights, no studies have analyzed the meta-pressure caused by the fragmented planning regime as a whole, as the amount of regulations regarding different land use sectors and permitting processes increases with each new type of competing activity. Through the concept of double pressure caused by the inter-related processes of fragmented landscapes and fragmented ‘planscapes’, this study seeks to capture the actual pressure the affected communities are currently experiencing. Using multiple quantitative and qualitative data sets consisting of Geographical Information Systems, policy documents, workshops discussions and interviews, we study how natural resource extraction like mining and wind energy has increased on traditional indigenous Sámi lands in northern Sweden. By expanding the analytical focus from today’s landscapes to both planscapes and the pressure from not-yet realized future projects, our results highlight the need for a holistic understanding of the situation reindeer herding is facing, calling for more relevant and legitimate land use permitting and planning mechanisms to reduce the industrial pressure on the landscape, and to address the social injustices caused by today’s planscape. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resources and Indigenous Peoples)
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17 pages, 4776 KiB  
Article
Earth Observation for Settlement Mapping of Amazonian Indigenous Populations to Support SDG7
by Javier Muro, Leo Zurita-Arthos, José Jara, Esteban Calderón, Richard Resl, Andreas Rienow and Valerie Graw
Resources 2020, 9(8), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9080097 - 16 Aug 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3583
Abstract
Indigenous communities in the Amazon suffer from lack of access to basic services, such as electricity. Due to their isolation and difficult access it is challenging to acquire data on their location, numbers and needs, which would enable adequate development plans. Earth observation [...] Read more.
Indigenous communities in the Amazon suffer from lack of access to basic services, such as electricity. Due to their isolation and difficult access it is challenging to acquire data on their location, numbers and needs, which would enable adequate development plans. Earth observation (EO), in combination with participatory mapping can support the creation of settlement maps as a basis for creating spatially explicit models of needs of basic services. Combining Landsat time series with SkySat and PlanetScope imagery, we have mapped the location and size of these settlements and modelled the number and densities of their houses. Additionally, we have projected settlement growth by 2030 in order to assess a demand of services that will be valid in the near future. We conducted surveys in 49 communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon to acquire information on the peoples’ living conditions and needs, and validated our model based on the findings. The number of buildings per cleared land had a strong linear relationship with the communities surveyed (adjusted R2 0.8). We used this linear relationship to model the number of buildings for the complete study area as well as for the 2030 settlement projection. Combining this information with data on the living conditions of indigenous communities, we can efficiently estimate the needs of basic services for larger territories and prompt development plans according to indigenous peoples’ needs and wishes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resources and Indigenous Peoples)
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20 pages, 618 KiB  
Article
Mining and Indigenous Peoples of the North: Assessment and Development Prospects
by Evdokia Burtseva, Anatolii Sleptsov, Anna Bysyina, Alla Fedorova and Gavril Dyachkovskii
Resources 2020, 9(8), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9080095 - 14 Aug 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3630
Abstract
The main industry in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the mining industry, which will continue to expand in the future. Already today there are quite a lot of investment projects for the development of minerals in the Arctic, North-West and South Yakutia, [...] Read more.
The main industry in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the mining industry, which will continue to expand in the future. Already today there are quite a lot of investment projects for the development of minerals in the Arctic, North-West and South Yakutia, which will be implemented in the territories of indigenous minorities of the North. Indigenous Evens, Evenks, Yukaghirs make up 4.2% of the total population of the republic and are characterized by low genetic diversity, which can lead to negative consequences in relation to their health status when exposed to technogenic pollution. Purpose of the study: assessment of the state of life of indigenous minorities of the North in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) under the conditions of a new stage of industrial development of territories of traditional nature management. The planned increasing industrial development of territories of traditional nature management can cause large-scale disturbances of the earth’s surface, depletion of biological resources, environmental pollution, which will ultimately lead to deterioration in the quality of life of the population. In order to take measures to prevent and reduce the negative impacts of industrial development of the territories of residence and traditional activities of indigenous minorities of the North, when implementing new projects, the expert commission recommends concluding a trilateral agreement on cooperation and financing of specific programs between industrial companies, government bodies of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and authorized representatives of indigenous minorities of the North. Research area—the position of indigenous minorities of the North in the conditions of industrial development of the North, Siberia and the Far East. This study looks at the impact of industrial development on the natural environment and the traditional way of life of indigenous population. Compensation for damage to the nomadic tribal communities of reindeer herders has taken place. Only about 250 thousand representatives of 40 indigenous peoples live in these regions, who are included in the official list of indigenous minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resources and Indigenous Peoples)
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16 pages, 2364 KiB  
Article
Indigenous Labor and Land Resources: Guarani–Kaiowa’s Politico–Economic and Ethnic Challenges
by Antonio A. R. Ioris
Resources 2020, 9(7), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9070084 - 06 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4442
Abstract
The article deals with the meaning and the management of land-based resources by indigenous peoples, which are analyzed through an assessment of the lived spaces of the Guarani–Kaiowa indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The discussion follows an [...] Read more.
The article deals with the meaning and the management of land-based resources by indigenous peoples, which are analyzed through an assessment of the lived spaces of the Guarani–Kaiowa indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The discussion follows an analytical framework that is focused on land, labor and ethnicity. These interconnected politico-economic categories provide the basis for understanding the violence and exploitation perpetrated against indigenous groups, as well as their capacity to reclaim ancestral territories lost to extractivism and agribusiness development. Empirical results indicate that ethnicity is integral to labor and land management processes. In the case of the Guarani–Kaiowa, not only have they become refugees in their own lands due to racist discrimination, but also their labor has been incorporated in the regional economy through interrelated peasantification and proleterianization tendencies. The result is a complex situation that combines major socio-spatial asymmetries with the strategic, exploitative use of land and labor and the growing political contestation by the indigenous groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resources and Indigenous Peoples)
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