Shifting from Extractive to Self-determined: Enhancing Indigenous Research and Data Governance in Southwest Climate Adaptation Initiatives

Indigenous knowledge systems, such as traditional ecological knowledge, contain climate observations and adaptation strategies reaching back millennia. These include methods for caring for our natural resources and relations, such as through drought resilient agriculture, soil, and water management practices. Despite a growing global recognition among researchers and resource managers of the value of Indigenous knowledges and practices for enhancing human capacity to adapt to climate change impacts, we face historic inequities that hinder cross-cultural knowledge exchange and innovation. This includes a tendency towards extractive research, accessing Indigenous knowledges without regarding Indigenous decision-making needs, sovereignty, or rights for self-determination.



Our project aims to address these inequities and serve societal needs by providing practical pathways for shifting from extractive to Indigenous self-determined research, effectively reducing barriers for Tribal governance and knowledge exchange in climate adaptation. This includes developing culturally-responsive, evidence-informed training materials for researchers, managers, funders, and policymakerswho engage with Indigenous knowledges and communities. For example, regarding settler-colonial and Tribal relations, ethics protocols, and data sharing. This work is timely in answering Tribal calls for access to data reflecting community priorities, values, and knowledge-bases, rather than external agendas; federal calls for agencies to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships and to engage in meaningful Tribal consultation; and calls from science institutions for advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through our analyses, in partnership with our Indigenous Advisory Council, we will improve understanding of current trends in policy and practice applied within Tribally-focused climate adaptation initiatives both nationally and in the Southwest andhost an inter-Tribal knowledge exchange and mapping workshop focused on Indigenous-led climate adaptation success stories. Interactive learning modules, a digital StoryMap, publications, and educational sessions generated from this project will serve as learning resources to enhance climate adaptation initiatives that engage Indigenous knowledges and serve to strengthen inter-Tribal and Tribal/non-Tribal partnerships.