Doctoral Dissertation Research: Natural Resource Governance with Indigenous Communities: Shifting Sovereignties Through Co-Management?

本博士论文项目考察了北美土著社区和国家行为者之间环境资源的共同管理，作为重新获得和重新配置土著主权主张的一种手段。土著社区和国家机构之间的自然资源管理的特点是对土地和资源的高度不信任和冲突。尽管协作管理协议越来越被视为一种解决方案，但共同管理经常被批评为国家驱动的项目，无法实现有意义的权力分享。本项目评估通过共同管理协议提高土著对有争议土地和资源的主权的方式和程度。该研究评估了太平洋西北鲑鱼流域的两个典型案例：美国加利福尼亚州的Karuk部落和加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省的Xaxli'p土著社区，这两个社区将生态和文化恢复作为主要管理目标。该项目的研究问题是：1)如何在共同管理中使用社区对生态文化恢复目标的表述来建立社区对自然资源主张的合法性？2)随着时间的推移，共同管理如何塑造土著主权主张？3)通过社区和国家机构的共同管理过程，获得土地和资源的途径如何转变？方法包括对共同管理过程中的关键参与者进行半结构化访谈；参与观察修复活动；文档分析;参与式绘图。分析包括对软件进行编码访谈，并采用访问分析方法来比较社区和国家机构从共同管理中获得的好处，以及共同管理人员控制资源的机制。地理信息系统（GIS）制图和覆盖分析将有助于识别Karuk和代理土地管理计划之间的异同。研究结果将扩大对环境治理的认识，特别是共同管理过程如何影响对领土的土著主权斗争，以及获取和控制土地和资源的问题。调查人员还考虑土著社区如何发展新知识，以及如何将生态和文化恢复联系起来，从而影响土著土地上的自然资源管理决策。此外，案例研究比较将提供洞察不同的法律和政策，在加拿大和美国，影响土著主权和自决。此外，从可能性和局限性两方面更全面地了解共同管理，将有助于土著社区和国家机构超越因资源管理冲突而提起的诉讼。最后，研究成果将包括实用工具，供Xaxli'p和Karuk社区在继续进行生态文化恢复活动时使用。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将为博士生建立独立的研究生涯提供支持。

This doctoral dissertation project examines the co-management of environmental resources between native communities in North America and state actors as a means of recapturing and reconfiguring indigenous sovereignty claims. Natural resource management between indigenous communities and state agencies is characterized by a high degree of distrust and conflict over lands and resources. Although collaborative management agreements are increasingly viewed as a solution, co-management is often criticized as a state-driven project that does not achieve meaningful power sharing. This project assesses the ways and degree to which indigenous sovereignty over contested lands and resources can be advanced through co-management agreements. The research evaluates two exemplar cases in Pacific Northwest salmon watersheds, the Karuk Tribe in California, USA and the Xaxli'p Indigenous Community in British Columbia, Canada, where communities are combining ecological and cultural restoration as a primary management goal. The project's research questions are: 1) How are community articulations of eco-cultural restoration goals being used in co-management to establish legitimacy for community claims to natural resources?; 2) How are indigenous sovereignty claims shaped by co-management over time?; and 3) How does access to land and resources shift through the co-management process for the community and state agency? Methods include semi-structured interviews of key participants in co-management processes; participant observation of restoration activities; document analysis; and participatory mapping. Analysis involves coding interviews with software and employing an access analysis approach to compare benefits received from co-management by both communities and state agencies, and the mechanisms by which co-managers control resources. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and overlay analysis will help identify similarities and differences between Karuk and agency land management plans. Research findings will extend knowledge of environmental governance, particularly how co-management processes affect indigenous sovereignty struggles over territory, as well as issues of access and control over land and resources. Investigators also consider how indigenous communities are developing new knowledge, as well as linking ecological and cultural restoration, to influence natural resource management decisions on indigenous lands. In addition, a case study comparison will provide insight into different laws and policies in Canada and the U.S. that impact indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Furthermore, a more comprehensive understanding of co-management, both in terms of possibilities and limitations, will help indigenous communities and state agencies move beyond lawsuits over resource management conflicts. Finally, research outputs will include practical tools for the Xaxli'p and Karuk communities to use as they continue eco-cultural restoration activities. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a doctoral student to establish an independent research career.