"Indigenous peoples are widely affected by natural hazards and their history and knowledge can directly inform on past events and mitigation strategies. Here we show how effective co-creation of resources and bi-lateral knowledge exchange between natural hazard researchers and local Indigenous communities provides an effective, equitable, and sustainable way to conduct research.
Introduction
Internationally there is no single agreed definition of Indigenous peoples, and here we use Indigenous as an all-encompassing international term (in Canada this includes First Nations, Métis and Inuit). The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) reports1 that 476 million people in more than 90 countries identify as Indigenous and ~20% of the Earth is covered by Indigenous territories. Consequently, Indigenous peoples globally live at risk from natural hazards (e.g., volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes) and also receive benefits from living in active geological areas (e.g., fertile soils, tourism, geothermal power). According to 2021 Canadian census data2, in the Province of British Columbia (B.C.) there are 290,210 people who identify as Indigenous, with 180,085, 97,865 and 1725 people self-identifying as First Nations, Métis and Inuit, respectively. All these people are susceptible to natural hazards and, as illustrated by Fig. 1, the largest volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, and floods in British Columbia, Canada have all affected Indigenous territories. Thus, given the global spatial overlap between Indigenous peoples and natural hazards, and the need for meaningful collaboration, both research and Indigenous local knowledge should be shared for mutual benefit. Here, we outline how the Nisg̱a’a First Nation and volcanology researchers have initiated and maintained a fruitful collaboration with bi-lateral knowledge exchange and resource co-creation. Furthermore, this comment article is co-written by non-Indigenous volcanology researchers based at universities (Jones and Williams-Jones) and a government organisation (Le Moigne) and by Indigenous scholars of the Nisg̱a’a First Nation, based at a post-secondary education establishment (Nyce and Nyce Jr.)...
There are many different resources that can be co-created between researchers and Indigenous communities. For the purposes of disseminating knowledge and history about natural hazards and past events, resource examples include information boards, posters, school activities, museum displays, online media, artwork, and audio tours. Irrespective of the resource type, co-creation and development has multiple benefits. The knowledge exchange is bi-lateral, and in many cases, Indigenous Knowledge directly informs on risk mitigation and hazard perception4...
Reciprocal benefits
Based on our experience, we highlight several mutually beneficial exchanges involving both Indigenous communities and research scientists working on natural hazards. These reciprocal benefits are applicable globally and are not specific to the natural hazard or the individual researcher-Indigenous community relationship."
