Search Results (38)

Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits nations to protecting and conserving at least 30% of the world’s terrestrial and inland water areas and coastal and marine areas by 2030 (30 × 30). There can be significant overlap with Indigenous and traditional territories (ITTs) and protected areas. We explore if and/or how ITTs are currently recognized and reported as contributors to national protection targets by analyzing whether these territories are counted as standalone conservation areas, integrated into government-led protected and conserved area networks or systems, or neither, in 18 countries. Our analysis reveals critical linkages between tenure regimes, ITTs and their recognition in reporting to global area-based conservation databases. Legal recognition of tenure rights, particularly ownership and stewardship rights, emerged as the strongest predictor of whether ITTs are formally being accounted for in these databases. Our findings also reveal that the contribution of ITTs to national protection targets not only depend on tenure type but also on governance rights, despite the way it is reported. We categorize systemic barriers and opportunities that have implications for the contribution of ITTs to 30 × 30 goals. Full article

This paper explores the tensions between hydropower and sustainable development to critically examine how hydropower, often promoted as a strategy for fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals, may not align with the values and needs of local communities. Research in Costa Rica highlights a key issue: For whom and for what is hydropower sustainable? While hydropower may support global energy and climate goals, it often undermines the autonomy, cultural practices, and ecological relationships of Indigenous peoples. This disconnect raises further questions: what social, economic, and ecological trade-offs are acceptable, and for whom? This paper discusses how these trade-offs—climate mitigation versus the loss of land, resources, and autonomy—are often imposed without meaningful consultation or participation from affected communities. Furthermore, it asks who makes the decisions, and how can these decisions be more just? By analyzing the power dynamics within hydrosocial territories, this paper argues for water governance that applies an environmental justice framework to address power asymmetries and centers marginalized voices to ensure that sustainability efforts do not reproduce the very injustices they seek to solve. Full article

In forested watersheds, suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is an important parameter that impacts water quality and beneficial use. Water quality also has impacts beyond the stream channel, as elevated SSC can violate Indigenous sovereignty, treaty rights, and environmental law. To address elevated SSC, watershed partners must understand the dynamics of the sediment regime in the basins they steward. Collection of additional data is expensive, so this study presents modeling and analysis techniques to leverage existing data on SSC. Using data from the South Fork Clearwater River in Idaho County, Idaho, USA, we modeled SSC over water years 1986–2011 and we applied regression techniques to evaluate correlations between SSC and natural disturbances (channel-building flow events) and anthropogenic disturbances (timber harvesting, hazardous fuel management, controlled burns, and wildfire). Analysis shows that SSC did not change over the period of record. This study provides a monitoring program design to support future decision making leading to reductions in SSC. Full article

As fisheries face intersecting ecological and economic crises, small-scale fishers and Indigenous fishing communities have been organising globally to protect their rights. Yet governance of commercial small-scale fisheries in Canada has been dominated by colonial state actors in the interests of both conservation and economic growth. Meanwhile, agroecology has been considered an appropriate framework for reenvisaging and reshaping food systems in Canada’s North. We propose four dimensions of agroecological fishing: governance, knowledge, economies, and socio-cultural values. We apply these to the Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation fishery in the Northwest Territories. We suggest that these agroecological fisheries dimensions, underpinned by Indigenous values and practices of stewardship, offer an alternative paradigm for the conservation of fish, waters, and fishing communities. Full article

The aquatic plant species Eichhornia crassipes, commonly known as water hyacinth, is indigenous to South America and is considered an invasive species. The invasive water hyacinth has caused significant economic and ecological damage by preventing sunlight from penetrating the surface of the water, resulting in the loss of aquatic life. To quantify the invasiveness and address the issue of accurately identifying plant species, water hyacinths have prompted numerous researchers to propose approaches to detect regions occupied by water hyacinths. One such solution involves the utilization of multispectral imaging which obtain detailed information about plant species based on the surface reflectance index. This is achieved by analyzing the intensity of light spectra at different wavelengths emitted by each plant. However, the use of multispectral imagery presents a potential challenge since there are various spectral indices that can be used to capture different information. Despite the high accuracy of these multispectral images, there remains a possibility that plants similar to water hyacinths may be misclassified if the right spectral index is not chosen. Considering this challenge, the objective of this research is to develop a low-cost multispectral camera capable of capturing multispectral images. The camera will be equipped with two infrared light spectrum filters with wavelengths of 720 and 850 nanometers, respectively, as well as red, blue, and green light spectrum filters. Additionally, the implementation of the U-Net architecture is proposed for semantic segmentation to accurately identify water hyacinths, as well as other classes such as lakes and land. An accuracy rate of 96% was obtained for the identification of water hyacinths using data captured by an autonomous drone constructed in the laboratory flying at an altitude of 10 m. We also analyzed the contribution each of the infrared layers to the camera’s spectrum setup. Full article

Mandaeism is the only ancient Gnostic religion surviving to the present day from antiquity. ‘Gnosticism’ was a block of creative religious activity mostly responding to the early Christian teachings in unusual ways of cosmicizing Jesus, and presenting a challenge to the ancient church fathers in the first-to-third centuries CE. Mandaeism, by comparison, has roots from John the Baptist rather than Jesus, although it is also important to recognize that this baptizing movement emerged in part as a survival of a very old indigenous ethno-religious grouping from Mesopotamia, its followers eventually settling in Mesopotamia’s middle and southern regions. Indeed, much of the Mandaeans’ thought and practice, especially their rituals of water ablution, have deep origins going back to Sumer, Akkad and Babylonia, reflecting regionally wide influences from right across the Fertile Crescent. Mandaean culture and the Mandaic Aramaic language was of high report in the so-called Patristic period covered by this Special Issue, even in the Arabian Peninsula up until the rise of Islam (634 CE onward), and Mandaeans were honored as a third “People of the Book”—the Sabians (Ṣābeʾun; or ṣobba in modern Iraqi Arabic)—in the Qur’an (2:62; 5:69; 22:17); in the Muslim world, many Mandaic speakers switched language to colloquial Iraqi Arabic and (Arabicized) Persian. This article aims to raise some basic questions, relevant to Patristics, about aspects of relationships between Mandaeans and both early ‘mainstream’ Christians and the other large grouping, the Manichaeans. These questions first concern the common flight of the followers of John and Jesus just before the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem (66–70 CE) and the role of the woman Miriai; second, the extent to which John and his followers affected the direction of early Christianity, and the consequences this had for ‘Baptist’/Christian relationships into the Patristic period, with attention paid to Mandaean views of Jesus; third, the process of the formation of early Mandaeism as it combined Hellenistic-Palestinian and Mesopotamian elements; and fourth, the signs that the Mandaeans not only influenced Mesopotamian Christian baptismal sects but were crucial in the emergence Manichaeism (from the 230s CE in Persian-dominated Iraq). This article will finish by concentrating on Mandaean–Manichaean relations in the light of a little known and previously secret Mandaic text (Diwan Razia), best known as Mani or Sidra d-Mani within a larger collection of unnamed occult texts. On the basis of the Mandaeans’ texts, we maintain that both Jesus and Mani apparently left their fold in turn. Full article

The growing divide between the capitalist mode of development promoted by the state and the participative development model suggested by the people has brought ecology, environment, and existence to the core of all contemporary debates. The Adivasi (indigenes) who constitute 8.6 percent of the entire population of India are engaged in a constant battle to save their ecology and landscape. Represented as communities whose existence is intertwined with ‘Jal, Jungle, Jameen’ (water, forest, and land), Adivasis are the most prominent communities facing dispossession and displacement from their roots to further the ideology of development in which they have no stake. The notion of Adivasis as ‘savage’, ‘primitive’, and ‘backward’ communities that are incompetent of ‘developing’ themselves, resulting in their ‘backwardness’ gets carried over from the colonial to the contemporary period. Exposed to the processes of mining and industrialisation, Adivasis and their ecological resources have been exploited since the colonial period to suit the development model of the state. The Adivasi notion of selfhood was overlooked in the process of making the areas inhabited by them zones of ‘exclusive governmentality’. The paper argues and analyses this transformation process of Adivasis into ecological warriors; a process in which they used their shared, remembered and lived past to assert their customary rights. Basing the study on three environmental movements of state of Jharkhand in Central India, namely the Koel-Karo movement of the 1980s, the Netarhat movement of the 1990s, and the Pathalgadi movement of 2017–18, the study underlines that the Adivasi of Jharkhand anchored on their customary rights as a weapon, to protect their ecology and landscape against various state-sponsored development schemes. Drawing on the methodology of field investigation, interaction with the NGOs, government reports and media reports, the article argues that these community struggles are rays of hope for a global ecological future. Full article

Here, we investigate the use of rolling-windowed L-moments (RWLMs) and L-moment ratio diagrams (LMRDs) combined with a Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) machine learning algorithm to model non-stationary low-flow hydrological extremes with the potential to simultaneously understand time-variant shape, scale, location, and probability distribution (PD) shifts under climate change. By employing LMRDs, we analyse changes in PDs and their parameters over time, identifying key environmental predictors such as lagged precipitation for September 5-day low-flows. Our findings indicate a significant relationship between total August precipitation L-moment ratios (LMRs) and September 5-day low-flow LMRs (${\tau }_2$-Precipitation and ${\tau }_2$-Discharge: R² = 0.675, p-values < 0.001; ${\tau }_3$-Precipitation and ${\tau }_3$-Discharge: R² = 0.925, p-value for slope < 0.001, intercept not significant with p = 0.451, assuming $\alpha$ = 0.05 and a 31-year RWLM), which we later refine and use for prediction within our MLR algorithm. The methodology, applied to the Goat River near Creston, British Columbia, aids in understanding the implications of climate change on water resources, particularly for the yaqan nuʔkiy First Nation. We find that future low-flows under climate change will be outside the Natural Range of Variability (NROV) simulated from historical records (assuming a constant PD). This study provides insights that may help in adaptive water management strategies necessary to help preserve Indigenous cultural rights and practices and to help sustain fish and fish habitat into the future. Full article

Water governance and ecosystem function in the Canadian prairies are in a state of crisis. Compounding this crisis, and adding complexity, is the relationship between the water governance authority of the state with Canada’s First Peoples. Meaningful engagement of Indigenous peoples in water governance is a necessary requisite to effective water management. This research characterizes the extent and depth of Indigenous engagement in watershed planning in the province of Manitoba, Canada, and examines the degree to which Indigenous rights are incorporated in that engagement. To do so, we analyze evidence of First Nation people’s inclusion in water governance, planning, and management processes. We conducted latent and manifest content analyses of watershed plans to identify the themes and frequency of content related to First Nations and Métis engagement and triangulated results with key informant semi-structured interviews and document reviews of water governance policies and legislation. Overall, we find that Indigenous engagement in Manitoba water governance has increased over time but is still lacking adequate recognition and implementation of Aboriginal and Treaty rights. Full article

We used social network analysis (SNA) to identify the types of water-related conflicts between the users and members of the institutional arena of the Rio Mayo Irrigation District (RMID) within the ancestral territory of the Yoreme Mayo indigenous group in Sonora, northeastern Mexico. We combined ethnography with an analysis and visualization of bimodal networks that consisted of 118 users and their connections to the institutional arena’s 30 identified social actors who influence water management. Using a clustering algorithm, we identified four types of conflicts: (1) disputes between small- and large-scale farmers over (i) irrigation water and (ii) payments for water rights and land rental; (2) the struggle by large-scale farmers against the upper level of the water hierarchy, to obtain more water; (3) struggles by rural indigenous women against water providers, to conserve indigenous vernacular systems of managing water for domestic use; and (4) a “conflict” that turned out to be merely a structural remnant of the algorithm. We conclude that land- and water-grabbing in the RMID mainly affect indigenous small-scale farmers and that the combination of SNA and a clustering algorithm can identify the types of natural resource-related conflicts that might go undetected by other methodologies. However, SNA should in some cases be accompanied by a qualitative methodology. Full article

Indigenous traditional land uses, including hunting, fishing, sacred activities, and land-based education at the Red Sucker Lake First Nation (RSLFN) in Manitoba, Canada, are impacted by mining. The Red Sucker Lake First Nation (RSLFN) people want their territories’ land and water to be protected for traditional uses, culture, and ecological integrity. Towards this goal, their Island Lake Tribal Council sought support for an Indigenous-protected and conserved area (IPCA) in their territory, outside of existing mining claims, but without success. The two-eyed seeing approach was adopted in this study. Traditional land use mapping and interviews were undertaken with 21 Indigenous people from the RSLFN, showing that many traditional land uses are concentrated on greenstone belts. The interviews revealed that mining exploration has resulted in large petroleum spills, noise distress, private property destruction, wildlife die-offs, and animal population declines. These issues negatively impact RSLFN’s traditional land use practices, ecosystem integrity, and community health. Governments need to partner with Indigenous communities to reach their biodiversity targets, particularly considering northern Canada’s peatlands, including those in the RSLFN territory, surpassing Amazon forests for carbon storage. The role of critical minerals in renewable energy and geopolitics has colonial governments undermining Indigenous rights, climate stabilization, and biodiversity to prioritize extractivism. Mining at the RSLFN has environmental impacts from exploration to decommissioning and after, as well as the massive infrastructure required that includes roads, hydro, and massive energy supplies, with a proposed multimedia national Northern Corridor to export RSLFN’s resources and other resources to six ports. Full article

The current food system and food choices have resulted in the increased human use of natural resources such as water and soil, and have directly impacted the ‘Global Syndemic’—climate change, obesity, and undernutrition. Revitalising Indigenous food systems and incorporating native plant-based foods into current food systems may have the potential to reduce diet-linked chronic diseases and environmental degradation, and are important steps toward Indigenous rights and self-determination. This study aims to identify and describe Aboriginal food practices and Australian native plant-based foods and their social, environmental, and economic impacts on sustainable food systems. A scoping review was conducted using the five-stage framework informed by Arksey and O’Malley. To describe the results, the framework for sustainable food systems from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations—FAO was used. Articles were included if they described the impacts of Aboriginal food practices on sustainable food systems, were confined to studies that were conducted in the Australian context, and included native Australian plant-based foods. A total of 57 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The major social impacts incorporated the nutritional and health benefits of Australian native plant-based foods, such as antidiabetic properties, anticancer and antioxidant activities, and cultural identification, involving Aboriginal ecological knowledge and their connection to their country. Within the environmental impacts category, studies showed that Australian native plant-based foods have environmental stress tolerance and some ecosystem benefits. The main economic impacts discussed in the literature were the source of income for remote communities and the potential market for Australian native plant-based foods. This review demonstrates that Aboriginal food practices and Australian native plant-based foods can contribute to more sustainable food systems and diets and give more voice and visibility to Aboriginal knowledge and aspirations. More research and investments are needed to face the challenges of including these foods in our current food systems. Full article

Over a century ago, copper mills on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Lake Superior sluiced 64 million metric tonnes (MMT) of tailings into coastal waters, creating a metal-rich “halo”. Here we show that relatively small discharges can spread widely in time and space. Mass Mill (2.9 MMT) dumping into Lake Superior also illustrates the complexity of interactions with Indigenous Peoples. A combination of aerial photos, LiDAR, and a microscope technique for distinguishing end-member particles traces the migration of tailings. The clay fraction spread rapidly across Keweenaw Bay and curled into terminal L’Anse Bay, within tribal Reservation boundaries. The coarse stamp sand fraction moved more slowly southward as a beach sand deposit onto Sand Point, a sacred burial ground. Despite the partial recovery of northern beaches and southern sediments, concerns continue about chemical contamination. Mass Mill provides an excellent example of Indigenous Peoples’ territorial and resource issues with mining. A major difficulty with “legacy” discharges is that there are no longer any “responsible parties”. Initially, federal and state officials were fearful that treaty rights might warrant reparations. Recently, multiple agency/state funding programs supported international (IJC) award-winning restoration efforts by tribal members, illustrating how Indigenous Peoples and governments can work together to safeguard treaty rights. Full article

Over time, community forests (CFs) have been established across the globe to meet various social, economic, and ecological needs. Benefits of CFs include conserving resilient forests and natural resources and ecosystem services, enhancing social and economic capital, and leveraging local and indigenous knowledge in forest and natural resource management and decision-making. Research on CFs in the U.S. is quite limited, and cases that have been assessed show a wide spectrum in terms of CF ownership, organizational structure, governance, property rights, and uses. Through an exploratory research approach, this study enhances the understanding of the characteristics of CFs in the U.S. and the ecosystem services and other benefits that they provide. Through online web searches, we compiled one of the first comprehensive lists of CFs in the Eastern U.S. Prior to this study, there was no publicly available comprehensive database or list of CFs in the country. Subsequently, we conducted comparative case study research, which included semi-structured in-person interviews with key stakeholders from four CFs in the Eastern U.S. to understand CF ownership, governance, uses, and benefits. CFs benefits frequently included cultural services, such as recreation and education, and regulating and supporting services, such as water quality and wildlife habitat. Much less common was a focus on provisioning services such as timber or non-timber forest products. Maintaining collaboration and funding for CF efforts in the long run without significant CF revenues remains a challenge for most forests. Overall, this research sheds lights on CF characteristics and capacities in the Eastern U.S. and identifies potential opportunities and needs for the U.S. in the future. CFs researchers, managers, and community members. Full article

The adoption and ratification of new conventions and treaties under international law designed to protect both Indigenous peoples and the rights of nature have resulted in successful rulings by local, federal, and regional courts in favor of Indigenous groups engaged in class-action suits against their governments. In 2012 and 2019, respectively, the Sarayaku Kichwa and the Huaorani and Cofán peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon won cases against the Ecuadorian government for its lack of consultation on planned oil exploration. Such cases upholding the correct application of the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) under international treaties are rare; more often, Western judicial systems and environmental impact assessments have been used to serve corporate interests, as exemplified by the Aguinda v. Texaco case initiated in 1993 and the planned operations of Andes Petroleum in Orellana province 2019–2020, respectively. Indigenous and non-Western epistemologies tend to be incompatible with state-driven liberal secular capitalism—hence Indigenous efforts to prevent land seizures and the expansion of the extractive frontier into Indigenous territories in the Amazon rainforest have been undermined by the imperatives of modernization/developmentalism. These same forces have stimulated demand for gold, the legal and illegal mining of which, along the Napo river, have caused the contamination of the waters of the Amazon, threatening the health of Indigenous and non-indigenous riverine communities. Full article