The project is based on the Indigenous Centred Research approach, which is community-led and focuses on co-developing methods and techniques drawn from the tradition of Indigenous communities (Dimayuga, Sur, Choi, A. & et al, 2023; Rogers, 2023; Yamane & Helm, 2022; Drawson, Toombs & Mushquash, 2017).
The project comprises four inter-linked Work Packages (WPs). WP4 will collaboratively develop and implement the Research Indigenous Communities of Practice (RICOP). This initiative is guided by Indigenous People, local communities (including Amazon `quilombolas`, riverside dwellers), practitioners, academics, policymakers, and representatives from both governmental and non-governmental organisations in Brazil. RICOP will support the research methodological design, application, and analysis in all WPs.
WP 1 ( objective 1): Co-analysing climate change institutional responses
Phase 1 – Policy co-analysis and review: this WP will be co-designed by The Research Indigenous Communities of Practice in Brazil (RICOP) members (implemented by WP4). The aim is to conduct an in-depth reflective analysis of existing climate policies at local, regional, and national levels in Brazil (e.g. The National Policy on Climate Change, The National Fund on Climate Change, etc). We search to identify gaps and barriers for Amazon Indigenous knowledge inclusion and recognition within environmental governance policies. We will examine policy documents, legislative frameworks, and implementation strategies and evaluate their effectiveness, coherence, and alignment with Indigenous communities’ ontologies and knowledge values.
Network analysis: RICOP members and the research team will map out networks of institutions involved in climate governance in Brazil. We will identify key actors, their roles, and collaborations with Indigenous communities (e.g. Brazil Climate Centre; Greenpeace Brazil; Coordination of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon; The Indigenous Committee on Climate Change in Brazil, etc.). We will assess the effectiveness of these networks in driving climate action in Brazil, and their actions to guarantee formal recognition and inclusion of Amazon Indigenous ontologies and knowledge within environmental governance.
Ethical approval for access Indigenous lands in WP2: All research procedures will be developed according to Heriot-Watt University ethics resolutions, the Brazilian Research Ethics Committees (CEP), and the Brazilian National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP). The timeline research procedures approval for WP2 (access to Indigenous land) is included in WP1 (4 months). Indigenous leaders have already granted us access to their communities (WP2).
Phase 2 – Stakeholder’s in-depth interviews: RICOP members and the research team will engage with climate change government officials, policymakers, and Indigenous leaders in Brazil. We aim to explore how different levels of governance coordinate climate actions and recognition of Amazon Indigenous communities’ ontologies and knowledge values on the climate public debate. Interviews will be undertaken online or face to face as preferred. Interview design will be co-led by RICOP members and the research team considering cultural sensitivity and respect. Thematic data analysis will be adopted.
WP 2 (objective 2): Cultural immersion methodological co-design.
Phase 1. Training Collaborative Workshops: A five-day training collaborative workshop led by the Indigenous leaders of the four ethnicities (which are hosting the team) and RICOP members will be co-designed to prepare the immersion field trip research team. The workshop sections will guide the research team on the following subjects: co-design of research methods, respect to the Amazon environment, sustainable behavior, support Indigenous communities, learning about the Indigenous culture, and be mindful of carbon footprint in Amazon communities. Field trip safety and ethical issues will also be discussed, planned, and applied. The workshops will be held in the Indigenous Documentation and Research Centre, located within the Forest People Training Centre in the city of Rio Branco, Brazil.
Phase 2. Cultural immersion field trip: A 30-day cultural immersion field trip (6 researchers) will be undertaken in six Indigenous communities (Aldeia Amparo Yawanawa; Clã Varinawa Vari Peo Noke Koi; Morada Nova Shanenawa; Ni Yuxibu Huni Kuin; São Joaquim Huni Kuin; Nova Empresa Huni Kuin) located at Acre state in Brazil. We will be co-developing innovative climate research methodologies with four ethnicities (Yawanawa, Noke Koi Katukina, Shanenawa, Huni Kuin) led by their insights and experiences related to environmental challenges in the Amazon Biome.
The Co-I Miguel Martins has established strong connections with these ethnicities since 2018. He is one of the founders of Yakã Institute, responsible for co-creating sustainable projects with Amazon Indigenous groups in Brazil. This WP aims to propose sustainable futures scenarios guided by Indigenous perspectives, and to challenge conventional research methods rooted in Western-centric climate research. We seek to co-design methodologies that truly represent the interests, beliefs, perspectives, goals, and voices of Amazon Indigenous communities. The field trip will also identify key priorities for each community in the context of climate change (e.g. water contamination, health, older adults and children, Indigenous land tenure rights, gender and role of women, issues related patriarchy, menstruation, sexuality, maternal health, reproductive rights, healthcare, etc).
The focus is to co-develop ways to support these priorities through and beyond the research giving voice to the communities and bringing all their demands to the attention of national and international leaders. We will co-design gender-inclusive research activities that empower and uplift individuals, particularly women, in the face of patriarchy and gender prejudice. To avoid perpetuating existing gender disparities, this project will also ensure access to resources, decision-making, and benefits for all genders. An ethnographic approach based on Indigenous Centred Research (Ploder & Hamann, 2021; Matera & Biscaldi, 2021; Sylvester et al, 2020; Groh, 2018; Parsons, Fisher & Nalau, 2016; Simonds & Christopher, 2013) will support this WP. We will co-design informal workshops led by the Indigenous communities to discuss how new approaches, methodologies and tools could address climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the Amazon. Storytelling, Yarning, personal reflection, sharing circles, participation in ceremonies (formal and informal), art creation, dance, and ordinary `informal` conversations can be co-designed and incorporated into the activities (Atkinson, Baird & Adams, 2021; Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010; Nakashima, Krupnik, Rubis, 2018). The following topics will also be discussed together with any other issues raised by the communities: burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, farming livestock, climate justice and colonialism. Issues of ethnicity and consent will be negotiated with the Indigenous leaders in WP2- Phase 1 to ensure that research representation and participation is carefully managed.
Phase 3. Data analysis: We will co-analyse data collected during the field trip. Firstly, we will have a five-day co-led workshop with Indigenous leaders, RICOP members and the research team. The objective is the co-creation of knowledge and data analysis methods identifying challenges to and opportunities for transdisciplinary and cross-cultural knowledge production. The focus is also to co-design initiatives through and beyond the research such as a documentary film, exposition and mini-doc as part of an integrated approach of demonstrable critical Indigenous world views to national and international audience, focuses on climate resilience, and raises up Indigenous voices. The workshop will be held in the same location of Phase 1 WP2 – The Indigenous Documentation and Research Centre.
WP 3 (objective 3): A mapping design approach.
Phase 1. Co-led a mapping design approach: The project recognises that Indigenous communities living in the Amazon rely on the forest for their livelihoods, and, beyond immediate needs like food, the variety of life in the forest holds immense cultural importance for these communities. An inclusive co-led Indigenous mapping design approach will be developed to identify e.g. the local cultural context of indigenous territories, water resources, deforestation, and any other issue raised by the Indigenous communities as factors that compromise Amazon Biome preservation.
This WP will co-develop global scenarios and public policies by establishing climate change actions which incorporate and attend concepts of Indigenous knowledge, ground-up approach for climate change, and sustainable development. The mapping activity will be led by Indigenous community leaders (connections established in WP1-2), RICOP members, local communities (e.g. Amazon `quilombolas`, riverside dwellers), practitioners, academics, policymakers, and representatives from government and non-governmental organizations. We will challenge the intersectionality of marginalization and exclusion that Indigenous communities encounter in relation to public participation on climate policies. It will be held in the Indigenous Documentation and Research Centre (same location of WP2, Phase 1 and 3).
Phase 2. A GIS Yarning mapping will be co-designed to integrate and visualise WPs 1-3 data. It will provide a tool for decision-making that can be shared across Indigenous community leaders, local communities, stakeholders, and government sectors at the local, regional, and national levels. Yarning is a conversational process that involves the sharing of stories and the development of knowledge. It prioritizes Indigenous ways of communicating, in that it is culturally prescribed, cooperative, and respectful. A Yarning mapping involves understanding and documenting the intricate web of relationships, stories, and cultural knowledge of Indigenous communities (Poirier, Hedges & Jamieson, 2022; Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010). Indigenous leaders, RICOP members and the research team will co-design a tool that combines GIS mapping with narrative text, images, and multimedia content. It will at once combine a spatial and understanding of Indigenous communities’ ontologies and knowledge values in responding to environmental challenges. We are going to use ArcGIS software and ArcGIS Online to support it.
WP 4 ( objective 4): Enhance research capacity.
This WP will be co-designed and implemented since day one of this project and beyond the research. It will create The Research Indigenous Communities of Practice (RICOP) for climate change studies in Brazil. A community of practice is an approach to learning where members share best practices and deepen their knowledge through interaction on an ongoing basis (Wynn, Delbridge, Palermo & Wilson, 2023; Maditsi & Materechera, 2021). RICOP will provide a platform where voices, rights, knowledge, and experiences of Indigenous communities can be heard, respected, and negotiated in climate change debates. RICOP aim is to support Amazon Indigenous and local communities’ initiatives backing up local projects, ensuring protection, and advocating for formal recognition of Indigenous People as leaders in climate-resilience.
RICOP members will include Indigenous People and leaders, as well as local communities, practitioners, academics, policymakers, representatives from government and non-governmental organisations, academics, and researchers. RICOP will promote and support breakthrough ideas, new knowledge, and new practices for climate change governance. At the same time, RICOP will address topics and projects identified as important by Indigenous communities in WPs1-3 (e.g., water contamination, Indigenous land tenure rights, etc.) and develop tools to support these through and beyond the research. We will develop transdisciplinary learning events, collaborative dialogue, training, and shared dissemination opportunities. Meetings before and after each WPs will be organized to provide opportunities for shared learning between Indigenous People, local communities, academics, and decision-makers.
At the project’s conclusion, we will host a Research Forum in Brasilia, following COP 30. This forum will facilitate a global discussion on recognising Indigenous knowledge in climate governance. Research findings will be showcased alongside a documentary, mini-doc, and photo exhibition at the National Museum of the Republic.