Implementing Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems in Water Research and Management (Part 1): A Systematic Realist Review to Inform Water Policy and Governance in Canada

• Main Authors: Heather E. Castleden, Catherine Hart, Sherilee Harper, Debbie Martin, Ashlee Cunsolo, Robert Stefanelli, Lindsay Day, Kaitlin Lauridsen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Western Ontario 2017-10-01
• Series: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Subjects: Indigenous knowledge systems; water research; water management; water policy; integrative knowledge; systematic realist review; Canada
• Online Access: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss4/7/

Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis/Metis) peoples in Canada experience persistent and disproportionate water-related challenges compared to non-Indigenous Canadians. These circumstances are largely attributable to enduring colonial policies and practices. Attempts for redress have been unsuccessful, and Western science and technology have been largely unsuccessful in remedying Canada’s water-related challenges. A systematic review of the academic and grey literature on integrative Indigenous and Western approaches to water research and management identified 279 items of which 63 were relevant inclusions; these were then analyzed using a realist review tool. We found an emerging trend of literature in this area, much of which called for the rejection of tokenism and the development of respectful nation-to-nation relationships in water research, management, and policy.