Climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous Peoples' health and wellbeing: A systematic umbrella review.

Indigenous Peoples worldwide are experiencing a cascade of impacts on their health and wellbeing as a result of climate change and biodiversity loss. Existing literature at the interface of climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous health tells us that Indigenous Peoples are among those most disproportionately and acutely affected by these impacts. Yet, a gap exists with respect to comprehensively and critically synthesizing the impacts reported across this literature and identifying Indigenous-led responses. Guided by an Indigenous advisory group, we employed a systematic umbrella review methodology, following PRISMA guidelines, to characterize the global secondary literature (PROSPERO registration #: CRD42023417060). In so doing, we identified the proximal, intermediate, distal, and gendered impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on Indigenous health and wellbeing as well as Indigenous-led responses. Five databases were searched for published reviews, along with a grey literature search that focused on underrepresented geographic regions in the academic literature. Two independent reviewers conducted two-stage screening, data extraction, and quality assessment of retrieved records. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically, using a constant comparative approach. A total of 38 review articles met the eligibility criteria and 37 grey literature records were retrieved and included in the review. Reviews were published between 2010-2023 and geographically clustered in the Circumpolar North. Intersecting proximal, intermediate, and distal impacts were characterized as place-based and specific, and linked to colonialism as an antecedent to and driver of these impacts. Gendered impacts were underexplored within reviews. Reviewed literature underscored the value of engaging diverse knowledge systems; platforming localized, community-led adaptation to climate change and biodiversity loss, while addressing sociopolitical constraints to these efforts; and applying a broader conceptualization of health that aligns with Indigenous frameworks. Going forward, we must foreground equity- and rights-based considerations within integrated responses to climate and biodiversity crises.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous Peoples' health and wellbeing: a systematic umbrella review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Research that examines the intersections of Indigenous Peoples' health and wellbeing with climate change and biodiversity loss is abundant in the global scholarship. A synthesis of this evidence base is crucial in order to map current pathways of impact, as well as to identify responses across the global literature that advance Indigenous health and wellbeing, all while centering Indigenous voices and perspectives. This protocol details our proposed methodology to systematically conduct an umbrella review (or review of reviews) of the synthesized literature on climate change, biodiversity loss, and the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples globally. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars will conduct the review, guided by an engagement process with an Indigenous Experts group. A search hedge will be used to search PubMed®, Scopus®, Web of Science™, CINAHL (via EBSCOHost®), and Campbell Collaboration databases and adapted for use in grey literature sources. Two independent reviewers will conduct level one (title/abstract) and level two (full-text) eligibility screening using inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data will be extracted from included records and analyzed using quantitative (e.g., basic descriptive statistics) and qualitative methods (e.g., thematic analysis, using a constant comparative method). DISCUSSION: This protocol outlines our approach to systematically and transparently review synthesized literature that examines the intersections of climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous Peoples' health and wellbeing globally. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: This protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on April 24, 2023 (registration number: CRD42023417060).

In Vitro Technology in Plant Conservation: Relevance to Biocultural Diversity.

Plant diversity is critical to the functioning of human societies, and evidence shows that plant conservation success is driven by integrative approaches that include social and biological factors. Plants have a unique capacity to reproduce asexually, and propagation practices can yield large numbers of plantlets. These plantlets can be used in several ways to fulfil conservation goals including the repopulation of regions with declining densities of threatened species that hold cultural meaning. However, the potential of in vitro technologies in the conservation of plants that hold cultural meaning is understudied. In this paper we focus upon the roles of in vitro technologies in the conservation of plants relevant to biocultural environments and provide an overview of potential knowledge gaps at the interface of in vitro and plants used traditionally, including those meaningful to Indigenous Peoples. We conclude that in vitro technologies can be powerful tools in biocultural conservation if they are deployed in a manner respectful of the socio-cultural context in which plants play a role, but that further research is needed in this regard. We suggest several epistemological points to facilitate future research.

Indigenous guardians as an emerging approach to indigenous environmental governance.

Over the past 3 decades, indigenous guardian programs (also known as indigenous rangers or watchmen) have emerged as an institution for indigenous governments to engage in collaborative environmental governance. Using a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature for research conducted in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa-New Zealand, and the United States, we sought to characterize the emergence of indigenous guardians in the literature and explore whether guardian approaches are representative of Indigenous approaches to environmental governance. Using a multistep relevance-screening method, we reviewed 83 articles published since 1995, that report on, critique, or comment on Indigenous guardians. Our findings indicated that most articles on the topic were published in the last decade (88%), focused on Australia (65%), and were in a social science discipline (53%). The lead author of the majority of articles was an academic, although only half of the articles included an indigenous scholar or member of an indigenous group or organization as a coauthor. Finally, 11 articles were on research of guardian programs that were locally led and only 5 exemplified indigenous governance, based on 2 well-known community-based monitoring typologies. Our findings indicate that more research is required to understand the implications of current guardian programs for indigenous self-determination, particularly when such programs are embedded in a broader western environmental governance structure.

Guardianes Indígenas como una Estrategia Emergente para la Administración Ambiental Indígena Resumen Durante las tres décadas más recientes, los programas de guardianes indígenas (también conocidos como guardias o vigilantes indígenas) han emergido como una institución para que las administraciones indígenas participen en la administración ambiental colaborativa. Mediante una revisión sistemática de la literatura revisada por pares de proyectos de investigación realizados en Australia, Canadá, Aotearoa-Nueva Zelanda y en los Estados Unidos buscamos caracterizar el surgimiento de los guardianes indígenas en la literatura y exploramos si las estrategias de guardianes son representativas de las estrategias indígenas para la administración ambiental. Usamos un método de filtración de relevancia con pasos múltiples para revisar 83 artículos publicados desde 1995; estos artículos reportan, critican o comentan sobre los guardianes indígenas. Nuestros hallazgos indicaron que la mayoría de los artículos dedicados a este tema fue publicada en la última década (88%), está enfocada en Australia (65%) y está dedicada a una disciplina de las ciencias sociales (53%). El autor principal de la mayoría de los artículos fue un académico, aunque sólo la mitad de los artículos incluía a un investigador indígena o a un miembro de un grupo u organización indígena como coautor. Finalmente, once artículos investigaron los programas de guardianes liderados localmente y solamente cinco artículos ejemplifican la administración indígena con base en dos tipologías populares de monitoreo basadas en la comunidad. Nuestros hallazgos indican que se requiere una mayor investigación para entender las implicaciones de los programas de guardianes para la autodeterminación indígena, particularmente cuando dichos programas están arraigados en una estructura de administración ambiental occidental más generalizada.