Indigenous communities and the environment
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 13 - Climate Action and SDG 15 - Life on Land.
From the Arctic Circle to Pacific Islands, indigenous communities are on the front line in experiencing first hand the adverse effects of climate change and extreme weather conditions. Whether through developing bottom-up solutions to adapting to the effects of global warming, legislating for greater recognition of their role in natural resource governance or putting their very wellbeing on the line to protect the environment, indigenous peoples are often considered ‘active defenders of the planet’.
Despite a growing recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights and contributions to the governance of natural resources, land and environmental issues, in practice they remain frequently marginalized or excluded from decision-making processes at local, national and international levels.
For this reason, it is increasingly accepted that academic research should play a part in promoting dialogue among indigenous peoples, local communities, scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders as part of the wider effort to create sustainable solutions to deal with emerging environmental challenges. It is in this spirit that this collection seeks papers that address the following themes and those related:
- The perceptions, experiences and responses of Indigenous peoples to climate change and socio-environmental crises, as well as Indigenous values and beliefs about the relationship between humans and nature.
- Theory and critiques of indigenous environmental justice, including the discussion of philosophies, ontologies, and epistemologies that underpin the concept.
- The role indigenous knowledge systems adapting to environmental change.
- Decolonization of methodologies and relationships between different knowledge systems in environmental research.
- Ethics of relationships between indigenous peoples and science organizations; the phenomenon of “helicopter research”.
- Collaborations between Indigenous communities and state/non-state actors in developing policy aimed at sustainable and equitable solutions to environmental issues.
- The relationship between colonialism, capitalism, extractivism and environmental violence as well as the violation of Indigenous and human rights.
- Protest movements and political press groups led by Indigenous people to protect land, water and air for future generations.
- Regional case studies exploring country-specific issues and challenges.
Submitting a paper for consideration
To submit your manuscript for consideration at Humanities & Social Sciences Communications as part of this Collection, please follow the steps detailed on this page. On the first page of our online submission system, please select your article type from the drop down menu. When on the "details" tab, you will be presented with the option to select which Collection your article should be submitted to. Authors should also express their interest in the Collection in their cover letter.
Accepted papers are published on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.
