Indigenous Water and Drought Management in a Changing World

Indigenous Water and Drought Management in a Changing World presents a series of global case studies that examine how different Indigenous groups are dealing with various water management challenges and finding creative and culturally specific ways of developing solutions to these challenges. With contributions from Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics, scientists, and water management experts, this volume provides an overview of key water management challenges specific to Indigenous peoples, proposes possible policy solutions both at the international and national levels, and outlines culturally relevant tools for assessing vulnerability and building capacity.

In recent decades, global climate change (particularly drought) has brought about additional water management challenges, especially in drought-prone regions where increasing average temperatures and diminishing precipitation are leading to water crises. Because their livelihoods are often dependent on the land and water, Indigenous groups native to those regions have direct insights into the localized impacts of global environmental change, and are increasingly developing their own adaptation and mitigation strategies and solutions based on local Indigenous knowledge (IK). Many Indigenous groups around the globe are also faced with mounting pressure from extractive industries like mining and forestry, which further threaten their water resources. The various cases presented in Indigenous Water and Drought Management in a Changing World provide much-needed insights into the particular issues faced by Indigenous peoples in preserving their water resources, as well as actionable information that can inform future scientific research and policymaking aimed at developing more integrated, region-specific, and culturally relevant solutions to these critical challenges.

 

• Includes diverse case studies from around the world
• Provides cutting-edge perspectives about Indigenous peoples’ water management issues and IK-based solutions
• Presents maps for most case studies along with a summary box to conclude each chapter

Miguel Sioui is an Indigenous geographer and environmental management scholar deeply rooted in his Huron- Wendat traditions and community. He sees his purpose as a cultural translator between two worlds―Western and Indigenous―that have historically struggled to meaningfully communicate. Sioui is keenly aware of the need for deeper reconciliation between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous intellectual communities through the creation of mutually usable channels of communication and research collaboration. His current research aims to bridge Indigenous and Western environmental epistemologies. He believes this harmonization process will foster the development of environmental management approaches and practices that are more likely to promote responsible and respectful relationships with the environment over the long term. He trusts that this effort will help the global society deal more holistically and effectively with increasingly complex local, regional, and global environmental management challenges.