Collaborative approaches to governance for water and Indigenous peoples: A case study from British Columbia, Canada
Highlights
- •
- We examine the perspective on Indigenous peoples in collaborative approaches to environmental problems.
- •
- We contrast these with Indigenous governance concepts and Indigenous perspectives.
- •
- We identify a gap in collaborative scholarship pertaining to environmental problems.
- •
- Empirical findings support this gap regarding assumptions pertaining to Indigenous peoples.
- •
- We suggest a different approach for incorporating Indigenous perspectives into theory and practice.
Abstract
Indigenous
peoples around the world hold views about identity, self-determination
and nationhood that often are distinct from those of governments and
others involved in environmental governance. Conflicts and tensions
often result when these incompatible perspectives clash. This problem is
evident in the context of collaborative approaches to environmental
problem solving, which often are grounded in the assumption that
Indigenous peoples simply are one of many stakeholders; this perspective
is fundamentally incompatible with the concept of Indigenous peoples as
existing within self-determining nations. Using an empirical case of
collaborative governance for water in the province of British Columbia,
Canada, this paper explores the extent to which collaborative practices
reflect Indigenous concerns and perspectives. In the cases examined,
collaborative practices tended not to recognize or account for concepts
related to Indigenous self-determination and nationhood in ways that
were accepted by affected First Nations people. We conclude with
suggestions for ways in which the gap between collaborative practice and
Indigenous perspectives can be addressed.
Keywords
- Collaboration;
- Collaborative governance;
- Indigenous governance;
- Environmental governance;
- British Columbia;
- Canada;
- First Nations
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
