Listening Deeply to Indigenous People: A Collaborative Perspective and Reflection Between a Mapuche Machi and Ecologists.

ABSTRACT: Indigenous Peoples are key knowledge holders and essential partners to confront global environmental crises, especially biodiversity loss. Many calls have been made to better integrate Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western ecological sciences. However, partnerships between these communities are complex due to power imbalances, distrust, different objectives, and injustices towards Indigenous Peoples. This raises the question of what meaningful engagement is, and for whom. These issues were discussed at a scientific workshop in Conguillío National Park, Chile. This initial encounter between ecologists and Mapuche elders, including a Machi (a Mapuche spiritual authority), has led to ongoing dialog and engagement. Responding to calls to listen deeply towards engagement with

SUBMITTER: Ortiz AMD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12329347 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature