Affiliation:
1. Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science Carleton University Ottawa Ontario Canada
2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
3. Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada Ottawa Ontario Canada
4. Wildlife Research Division Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Québec Canada
5. Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa Ontario Canada
Abstract
AbstractWhen brought together, Indigenous and Western sciences offer holism that can strengthen research and monitoring, yet the practices and processes of bridging these sciences are not well understood. We sought to elucidate bridging through a systematic realist review of coastal and marine research and monitoring studies that use methods for gathering Indigenous scientific knowledges and methods for collecting natural sciences data from across Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homelands in Canada;n = 25 case studies). We identified three decision points that shape projects co‐developed by researchers and Inuit communities: research objectives, method bundles (the totality of methods used in a case study), and method sequencing (the order of application of methods in a case study). Example case studies from the review are included to highlight some of the diversity of research pathways available. We discuss areas for further reflection, including method bundle composition, imbalances in method sequences, path dependency and research fatigue, research context, and most importantly, bridging as a relational rather than technical endeavour. We suggest that bridging sciences can, but need not be, a complex undertaking. This paper provides practical details to facilitate cross‐cultural research partnerships at a time of immense environmental and social change.
Funder
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Subject
Nature and Landscape Conservation,Environmental Science (miscellaneous),Ecology,Global and Planetary Change