Our Blog - Shared Value Solutions

Call for Submissions: Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science

Written by Laura Taylor | Apr 26, 2019 2:58:45 PM

Do you have stories to share about ways you've seen Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science effectively used together in Environmental Assessment and Management? Maybe examples of the two knowledge systems working astonishingly well together - or valuable lessons learned that could help other projects succeed?

This November, the North American chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) is holding their 40th Annual Meeting & Conference in Toronto. SVS's Alison Fraser and Alison Gamble are chairing a session called, “Different Knowledge Systems, One Vision: Stories of Braiding IK & Western Science in Environmental Assessment & Management.” The call for abstracts is now open, and we hope you'll consider submitting.

 

Click here to submit an abstract and to review guidelines for abstract submission. The deadline to submit an abstract for this session is June 5, 2019. If you have any questions or require additional information, please let us know. We hope to see you there!

  

Here is our full session description:

"A holistic understanding of our lands and waters is fundamental to the protection of the environment and the success of assessing, managing and remediating contaminated sites and impacted resources. Indigenous peoples have relied on the land for harvesting, cultural, spiritual, and recreational purposes since time immemorial. Despite their strong connection and understanding of the land, Indigenous voices are often not included in the assessment and management of environmental issues that directly, and significantly, impact their overall well-being.

 

In response to these injustices, many are charting a new path forward that sees Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working together, collaboratively using their respective knowledge systems and expertise to tackle the many environmental challenges that exist today - contaminated sites, food insecurity, access to clean drinking water, and climate change, to name a few. Consistent with the oral storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples, we will use a SETAC storytelling session format to illustrate case studies where the braiding of Indigenous Knowledge and Western science has been used to successfully address challenges and find collective solutions.

 

The session will show SETAC scientists that respectful integration of Indigenous Knowledge systems into their projects and research is not as daunting as it may seem, and often results in ideal outcomes. This session will highlight a variety of perspectives, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists from academia, government, not-for-profit, and private sectors, in combination with Indigenous knowledge keepers and community representatives."

 

Want to receive future updates like this in your inbox? Then...

 

 

 

About Us: Shared Value Solutions

We are an Canadian B Corp, and we assist Indigenous communities with support throughout regulatory processes surrounding major development projects like mines, hydroelectric facilities, transmission lines, highway expansions, oil and gas pipelines, natural resource transport applications and nuclear power. 

 

We have deep context and experience behind the recommendations we provide, having worked for our clients on almost every major project in Canada over the last 10 years. For us, it’s all about building long-term relationships with our clients. We want to get to know you and what you want to do so we can help you move your plans forward.