Panel 8.3. Indigenous Environmental Governance and Land Back

In pre-modern Japan, mountains and rivers were not seen as the property of anyone but as land entrusted to them from the heavens and the earth to live together as a common property. However, mountain areas in the backcountry, which have been protected and worshiped, are now being threatened by mega solar and wind power development projects, mainly by foreign investors. These are the forests that have preserved steep terrain and the lives of non-humans for a long time. In 2023, we bought a 60-hectare forest that belonged to Daijingu Shrine in the southernmost peninsula of Boso, Chiba Prefecture, to protect this land from development. We do not own this land but consider it borrowed from future generations, and we are restoring the forest to protect and nurture the rich natural environment and preserve it as a commons for present and future generations.

Over the past 30 years of my experience designing and constructing traditional Japanese gardens, I have come to admire the wisdom that lies deep within ancient Japanese techniques, and I am committed to researching, practicing, and disseminating these techniques as solutions to contemporary problems. The fundamental issue of modern civil engineering methods is that they do not consider the flow of underground water and air and the lives of non-human beings below ground. Instead, they squeeze and stagnate it, damaging the soil where diverse non-human beings, including fungi and microorganisms, breathe and carry out their life activities. This causes rainwater to not permeate into the soil and flow over the ground surface during heavy rainfall, scouring the topsoil and amplifying landslides and other disasters, aggravated by climate change.

Ancient techniques in Japan use organic materials such as leaves, rocks and branches, designing the infrastructure possible to work with tree roots and mycelia, creating healthy underground and forests so they become disaster resistant. There is important wisdom in “civil engineering by the people,” in which local people appropriately tended to the land and have lived there for generations while maintaining the richness of the land and nurturing the environment without damaging it. This presentation provides an example of reviving the commons in Japan, which enabled the ancestors to live their lives with appreciation for Mother Earth and gain and pass down wisdom from generation to generation. We believe that we have a role in preserving the diversity of life in this land, nurturing it and handing it down to future generations.

Governance and care of the commons is increasingly critical as a means to restore ecosystems, provide food and health care, build resilience to climate change, and keep communities connected to place. This presentation shares the growth of community groups caring for lands and waters across Hawaiʻi and explores lessons their work offers for broader efforts in commons governance. What kinds of work are these community groups, most native led, engaged in doing? What challenges do they face, and what are some of the key conditions that make their work possible? This presentation will integrate storytelling and creative products based on interviews, along with collaborative mapping, to share work with community organizations and networks over the past three years. We share engaged participatory research with over 20 community organizations, grass roots funding entities, university students and nonprofit alliances supporting community efforts, to understand broader movements across the Hawaiian islands, encompassing over 250 different sites - from farms to fishponds, forests, to entire watersheds. This project situates resurgence of community commons governance in Hawaiʻi within the global landback movement. Groups are engaged in education, rediscovery of cultural practice, healing, demilitarization, community based economic development, ecosystem restoration, and steady work to build sovereignty.

The concept of “land back” in marine conservation envisions a restorative model where coastal communities regain not only access to marine ecosystems, but the power to define what social and ecological well-being truly means. In Madagascar, this vision transcends access rights, pushing to decolonize conservation frameworks that have long been shaped by Western paradigms. Such models often silence local knowledge, placing natural forces like the ocean and climate in an ontological void—denying the spiritual and ecological relationships that see the ocean, weather, and ancestors as vibrant, active forces, deeply entangled in our shared climate reality.
Our findings stem from a transnational research partnership that engaged in bi-weekly discussions beginning in 2023, where we reflected on our own education and life experiences as we interviewed and analyzed 35 semi-structured interviews conducted in three coastal regions of Madagascar. Our conversations examined how we relate to and experience climate change, livelihood change, and programs conservation organizations implement in our communities in the name of biodiversity protection, climate mitigation and climate adaptation.
One of our findings is that while many younger community members express a sense of powerlessness in the face political economic marginalization and climate catastrophe, Malagasy elders and local leaders believe that reconfiguring taboos regarding and ancestral relations with nature is both possible and a prerequisite for a livable future. This reconfiguration is not a return to pre-colonial practices and beliefs, but an ontological intervention, re-introducing and legitimizing an alternative way of understanding and relating to the world. Part of this reconfiguration requires greater control over conservation-oriented funds and infrastructure in coastal areas. We see these desired shifts as essential steps to help right historical wrongs and enable the paradigm shift required for our survival.

Can our global community really thrive in -- and when it comes right down to it, do we really want to live in -- a world where love and care have been delegitimized and dominated by other forces? This question is reflective of a struggle alive and well in predominant colonial and capitalist cultures which have relegated love and care to the domain of personal relationships and invalidated it as a credible consideration in political, economic, scientific, and business decision making. It has been effectively cost-benefited out of the equation.

The diminished presence of love and care has contributed to environmental and social injustice for centuries and more recently to injustice and maladaptation in the face of climate change. For climate adaptation strategies to avoid maladaptation and to work instead toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all, love and care must play a vital and credible role in HOW we work together to respond to climate change.

This presentation will share a framework for transformative adaptation to climate change with love and care as a strategy to push open the constraints of colonial and capitalist systems and structures. It will discuss how a co-learning partnership of Indigenous and Indigenous-serving partners with long-term, meaningful relationships wove together an infrastructure of love and care, a commons, to co-create Indigenous and local, place-based community climate indicators and metrics and share in solidarity climate adaptation strategies. This presentation will discuss how this group of partners nurtured an infrastructure of love and care and the challenges and opportunities in continuing to grow, together. The presentation will also weave in additional relevant partner experiences.

Kīpuka Kuleana, a Native Hawaiian women-led community-based land trust, revitalizes relationships between people and ʻāina (lands and waters) to perpetuate cultural practices that build climate resilience in Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi. Ancestral land protection is foundational to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts on Kauaʻi, an isolated rural island in the Pacific Ocean increasingly vulnerable to flooding and landslides, sea level rise, and other climate-related impacts. Kīpuka Kuleana strives to keep kupa ʻāina ʻohana (long-time families)—the anchors of community who care for, teach from, and maintain balance in their fragile environments—rooted to their homes amidst increasing gentrification, land dispossession, and climate-related disasters. Through our interwoven programs, we return lands to communities and communities to lands, a reciprocal process known as ʻāina hoʻi, to restore access to ʻāina for collective caretaking, place-based education, and spiritual rejuvenation. Our land trust partners with Indigenous and allied groups in Hawaiʻi, Louisiana, California and Borikén (Puerto Rico) to share learnings tied to land protection, disaster resilience, adaptation, and rematriation, or the restoration of relationships between Indigenous people and ancestral lands. Our efforts illuminate how Indigenous-led community-based land trusts and stewardship efforts forge new possibilities for adapting in place and cultivating more connected, resilient ecosystems stewarded under Indigenous leadership, in alignment with the “Land Back” movement.

Extreme weather events have demonstrated that there is a mismatch between available climate data and metrics (reflecting on-the-ground lived realities) that communities can use to inform community climate adaptation. A similar mismatch occurs in disaster health responses. Healthcare systems use hazard vulnerability analyses (HVA) to identify hazards such as climate disasters, evaluate their potential impact, and guide resource allocation. HVAs rely primarily on US census data to understand community resiliency. This lack of inclusivity and disregard for local and Indigenous knowledge in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery undermines local capacity, slows the recovery process, and exacerbates health inequities. However, even when transformational ideas and Indigenous leaders are present, bureaucratic systems may not respond to community recommendations and requests. Given the lack of accountability that Indigenous and local communities have experienced with disaster response, it is critical that the centering of local and Indigenous knowledge in climate disaster health response must be done by ensuring non-discrimination, participation, accountability, and transparency in healthcare design. A rights-based approach, reflecting these core principles, provides a means for climate HVAs to center local and Indigenous knowledges and advance better health provisioning in climate disasters. A rights-based approach to health ensures that principles of fairness, participation and accountability are applied in disaster response and extends to the provision of the underlying determinants of health (food, safe water, housing, land). The AAAQ framework—comprising Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Quality—a crucial element of a rights-based approach - ensures that health goods and services are available, accessible (including economic affordability, physical and information accessibility) culturally appropriate, and of high quality. A rights-based approach addresses the inequalities, discriminatory practices, and unjust distributions of power that often prevent Indigenous leadership in decision-making climate and health protection. A rights-based approach, however, requires concrete context-specific metrics to ensure effective implementation and monitoring. We propose that a rights-based approach can be used to create usable Indigenous-led metrics and bridge knowledge rifts currently preventing effective partnerships between Indigenous communities and health care institutions for climate disaster response.

Indigenous communities in Coastal Louisiana have long been connected to similarly situated communities in other sacrifice zones, such as within Alaska. These co-learning networks, include partners in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, California, and many other spaces. Communal ownership is one resilience strategy that has been considered by communities in Coastal Louisiana. This case study will describe a collaboration across geographies and the lessons learned from visiting.

This presentation explores how to build equitable, long-term partnerships between academic researchers and community organizations. It will be co-led by a practitioner with over a decade of experience working for water justice and conservation organizations in underserved regions of the United States and a university professor with deep expertise in community-based research and advocacy in Hawaiʻi.

Drawing on ethical research guidelines for working with communities, we will discuss how principles of cultural respect, community leadership, and the integration of local knowledge are essential for successful, community-driven research. Through real-world examples, we will highlight the dos and don’ts at each stage of the research process—from project design to sharing results. We will address challenges such as power imbalances and communication breakdowns, and offer practical strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Key to successful research partnerships is equitable compensation for community partners, including the opportunity to serve as co-principal investigators. We will also discuss strategies for fostering respect and valuing community expertise throughout the research process.

This presentation provides actionable insights for building sustainable, mutually beneficial research partnerships that honor community organizations, while bridging the gap between academia and the communities most impacted by environmental and social challenges.

As Kanaloa (in this context, he is the ocean) rises and reaches further inland on the shores of Hawaiʻi, decisions will need to be made on what to do about the existing and future natural and built shoreline. The coastline has been a part of the lives of Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians) since time immemorial. In this place, our people continuously build our relationship to ʻāina (that which feeds), traverse the ocean, nurture and harvest food and other resources, care for the spirits of our ancestors who are often buried near the coast, heal our bodies, and recreate through activities like swimming, paddling, diving and surfing. The colonization of Hawai‘i resulted in a U.S.-state governance structure and Hawai‘i’s coastal zone management laws. Without clear pathways for Kānaka ʻŌiwi voices to engage in coastal planning for Kanaloa's migration inland, current adaptation efforts lack adequate representation. This talk will focus on my journey from sea level rise research as a climate scientist and coastal geologist to my current PhD endeavors in Indigenous Planning. In particular, I focus on the development of planning and governance processes to uplift Indigenous land use perspectives within sea level rise responses.

In this study, we conducted a social impact assessment of Klamath dam removal for tribal community well-being, as a contribution to tribal assessment science. Building on a long-term research partnership with the Karuk Tribe, we co-developed an assessment tool evaluating the social, cultural and economic impacts of dam removal in the Klamath Basin (California, Oregon, US). Our study design used a well-being framework focused on access to cultural resources, holistic health, self-governance, education, and livelihoods (https://damremovalsocialimpact.com). We analyzed surveys and focus groups with Tribal community members through coding and Indigenous storytelling methodologies. By including Karuk knowledge systems that connect the health of the river and the people, the assessment recasts dam removal as eco-cultural revitalization, and provides a baseline for evaluating social impacts from dam removal that is relevant to the tribal community. In this way, our research redefines the reference system used to track Klamath watershed restoration outcomes. By taking a more inclusive approach to environmental governance, we move away from siloed approaches that separate biophysical and social systems, and towards more holistic watershed governance for tribal community well-being.

The integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is crucial for the sustainable management of common-pool resources (CPR), particularly for Indigenous communities facing the challenges posed by climate change, land degradation, and the incorporation of IK into modern legal frameworks. This research investigates the role of IK in sustaining these resources, with a specific focus on the Bedouin community's management of their common pastoral land in Jordan's Southern Badia. To analyze this, a customized Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework is employed, emphasizing the significance of informal institutions within CPR management systems. This approach facilitates an exploration of how IK and community-based management strategies have cultivated ecological resilience and social cohesion.

Furthermore, the study assesses the effectiveness of the Bedouins' collective management practices through the lens of Ostrom’s Design Principles (1990), which focus on the robustness and resilience of self-organized governance systems. Utilizing qualitative methods, including interviews and document analysis, this research examines the Bedouin community's informal institutions and governance structures in addressing environmental pressures and ensuring sustainable CPR use.

The findings highlight the importance of creating space for Indigenous communities to manage their own commons, recognizing the Bedouins' expertise in navigating environmental changes, considering that rangelands in Jordan were sustainable before the Bedouin sedentation projects in 1960. This research contributes to ongoing discussions at the intersection of cultural preservation and environmental conservation, emphasizing the need for Indigenous autonomy in resource management amid pressing ecological challenges.

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S., there is now unprecedented funding for renewable energy, including substantial funding specifically for Native Tribes. Since Tribes pay disproportionately high energy costs, have long borne the brunt of fossil fuel extraction, and disproportionately feel the effects of climate change, these funds represent an opportunity to shift power. Renewable energy could offer Tribes that are interested the opportunity to enhance energy resiliency, drive economic development, and ultimately support self-determination and Tribal sovereignty.

Yet unprecedented funding will not guarantee renewable energy projects that substantially benefit Tribes. There is often a lack of capacity to apply for federal funding, a need for technical expertise, workforce development gaps, and a long history of energy extraction on Tribal lands that leaves many Native people rightfully wondering if they will actually benefit. These barriers stem from colonial structures and a complicated system of Federal Indian Law that adds jurisdictional and bureaucratic challenges.

Drawing from both direct work and research in this field, this presentation will explore how Tribes are leading the way to harness renewables for the benefit of their people—and the policy and structural barriers that still stand in the way. It will begin with a brief explanation of the legacies of federal policies that create complications for Tribes in this area today. We will then share examples of how Tribes have found creative avenues to leverage renewables for the benefit of their citizens. Lastly, we will end with an exploration of policy recommendations in this area so that the clean energy transition can truly be a transformational opportunity for Tribes.