Get reliable rangeland science

This paper addresses the call, made by Indigenous scientists and knowledge keepers, for transformative change in western science by creating a new model of science based on relationships and reciprocity (Hird et al. 2023, David-Chavez et al. 2024). This transformation focuses on the rights of Indigenous communities and Nations when they co-create/co-generate/co-produce knowledge with non-Indigenous partners. Indigenous governance of research and practice includes development of relation-based scientific models, clear data sovereignty and governance, full inclusion of communities in all aspects of the research, cross-cultural learning, and development of safe spaces on science-community teams (Hird et al 2023, David-Chavez et al 2024). Here, I describe key lessons of doing this work, reflecting on western science and Indigenous approaches, using examples from pastoral lands in Africa and Asia and non-pastoral lands in the United States.