We argue that solutions-based research must avoid treating climate change as a merely technical problem, recognizing instead that it is symptomatic of the history of European and North American colonialism. It must therefore be addressed by decolonizing the research process and transforming relations between scientific expertise and the knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples and of local communities. Partnership across diverse knowledge systems can be a path to transformative change only if those systems are respected in their entirety, as indivisible cultural wholes of knowledge, practices, values, and worldviews. This argument grounds our specific recommendations for governance at the local, national, and international scales. As concrete mechanisms to guide collaboration across knowledge systems, we propose a set of instruments based on the principles of consent, intellectual and cultural autonomy, and justice. We recommend these instruments as tools to ensure that collaborations across knowledge systems embody just partnerships in support of a decolonial transformation of relations between human communities and between humanity and the more-than-human world.

Drawing on 662 studies from 102 countries, we present a systematic review of published empirical studies about site-level biodiversity conservation initiated between 1970 and 2019. Within this sample, we find that knowledge production about the Global South is largely produced by researchers in the Global North, implying a neocolonial power dynamic. We also find evidence of bias in reported ecological outcomes linked to lack of independence in scientific studies, serving to uphold narratives about who should lead conservation. We explore relationships in the sample studies between conservation initiative types, the extent of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ influence in governance, and reported social and ecological outcomes. Findings reveal positive ecological and social outcomes are strongly associated with higher levels of influence of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and their institutions, implying equity in conservation practice should be advanced not only for moral reasons, but because it can enhance conservation effectiveness.

Time and again, Nepal has undergone various kinds of disasters, leading to devastating losses in both human lives and the economy. These calamitous events leave deep scars of pain, loss, suffering and trauma on those vulnerable populations who are directly impacted. While reappraising the disasters, the impact it leaves for the vulnerable population remains short-lived or gets fades away with time, making it nothing to learn from the tragedy they cause. This expository essay centers on the notion of disaster, which is loosely conceived by many in Nepal. Burrowing Miachael Burawoy’s schema of ‘Public Sociology,’ this essay reexamines disaster by shifting its focus from purely ‘natural or technological’ to a ‘social’, thereby engaging a broader audience rather than restricting the discussion to limited academic circles (both social and environmental sciences). By pitching the discussion from the structural dimension of society, the authors argue that the intensity, exigency and fatality associated with disasters are manifestations of societal inequality, structured within ‘social processes’, rather than merely arising from the natural or technological event. Consequently, it is the marginalized groups who lack resources or a voice to influence disaster preparedness (such as women, children, the elderly, the disabled and those below the poverty line) and are the ones who suffer the most.

This paper explores the role of customary governance in the sustainable management of natural resources within the Ngishyangba community of Upper Manang. The study is grounded in empirical research conducted in two phases, in 2014 and 2022, utilizing key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observational methods to explore how traditional Mithewa system facilitate cooperation, resolve conflicts, and adapt to external pressures such as climate change, tourism, and state interventions. The study highlights intricate relationship between customary governance and social dynamics in the sustainable management of natural resources within this high-altitude region. The study explains the complex construct and interaction of Mithewa system, with the community and its surrounding, for the management of the natural resources and maintaining harmony in the society. In explaining the effective function of Mithewa, the study also highlights the concurrent worldview of Ngishyangba people, using ethno ecological framework. The framework unravels the Ngishyangba’s intrinsic relationship with their environment and how such interconnectivity is realized, through their worldview based on spirituality, traditional occupation, rituals and practices, and decision-making process. The Ngishyangba, Indigenous communities in Nepal exhibits robust and intricate connections with the land, forests, and other natural resources, spanning social, cultural, spiritual, religious, and economic dimensions. They have their own customary laws and practices in sustainable management of forest, agriculture, and pasture lands. These resources not only serve as the foundation of their livelihoods but are also deeply interwoven with their worldviews and ways of life. The Mithewa customary governance practices have been functioning effectively addressing socio-cultural conflicts, sustainable management of natural resources, and distribution. These governing bodies plays an integral role in sustaining traditional knowledge and customary practices in natural resource use and management. They also play an equally important role in maintaining the peace, unity and harmony within the community by addressing the grievances and conflicts arising in the community.

Indigenous Peoples living in and around national parks and conservation areas continue to face persistent challenges, including human-wildlife conflict, crop and shelter damage, restricted access to natural resources, bureaucratic obstacles in accessing compensation and inadequate institutional support. Addressing these issues requires not only more streamlined relief processes but also the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples communities in decision-making and culturally appropriate grievance redressal mechanism. Against this backdrop, employing Indigenous peoples and the capability approach and Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation as an analytical framework, this paper critically examines the extent and nature of Indigenous Peoples participation in the governance of community and national parks and Tharu peoples’ lived experiences of exclusion and inequality in the decision-making processes in Nepal. The study finds that many initiatives labelled as inclusive and participatory are largely tokenistic, failing to provide genuine community empowerment for their meaningful participation in decision making. This tokenism reinforces structural inequalities, limits Indigenous agency, and prevents communities from influencing decisions that directly affect their lands and livelihoods. This lack of meaningful participation perpetuates difficulties in securing compensation, maintains inefficient procedures, restricts access to resources, and ultimately reinforces the marginalization of Indigenous Peoples. The study findings reveal that without a shift from symbolic involvement to substantive authority and partnership, current governance frameworks risk perpetuating the marginalization they claim to address.

यो लेखमा हिमाली क्षेत्रमा परापूर्वकालदेखि अभ्यास र प्रचलनमा रहेको आदिवासी जनजातिको औषधीउपचार सम्बन्धित ज्ञान, सिप र अभ्यासको रूपमा रहेको सोवा रिग्पा चिकित्सापद्धतिको वर्तमान अवस्था, यसले समुदायमा पुर्याएको योगदान र कानुनी मान्यताको अवस्था प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ । यो लेख गोरखा जिल्लाको उत्तरी क्षेत्रमा पर्ने चुमनुब्री गाउँपालिकाअन्तर्गतको सामागाउँ, ह्लो, प्रोक, विही, कुताङ, चुमचेत, छेकम्पार र निले गाउँहरूमा गरिएको अनुसन्धानमा आधारित छ । सोवा रिग्पा चिकित्सापद्धति चुम्बा र नुब्री समुदायमा आज पनि लोकप्रिय र अपरिहार्य चिकित्सा विधिका रूपमा रहेको छ । सोवा रिग्पा हिमालय क्षेत्रका बासिन्दाको संस्कृति र संस्कारको अभिन्न अङ्ग बनेको छ । नेपालका हिमाली बस्तीहरूमा अहिले पनि आम्चीकै भरमा स्वास्थ्य सुविधा पुग्ने गरेको छ । आम्चीहरूले स्वास्थ्य उपचार मात्र नगरी जैविक विविधताको संरक्षण र प्राचीन सांस्कृतिक मान्यताहरूको संवर्धनमा पनि योगदान पुर्याएका छन् । आधुनिक चिकित्सापद्धतिको चौतर्फी प्रभाव परिरहेको अवस्थामा समेत हिमाली क्षेत्रमा आम्ची अतिलोकप्रिय र प्रभावकारी रहेको पाइन्छ । आम्चीले...