Increased Indigenous Participation in Environmental Decision-Making: A Policy Analysis for the Improvement of Indigenous Health

• Main Authors: Kerry Black, Edward McBean
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Western Ontario 2016-12-01
• Series: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Subjects: environment; decision-making; Indigenous; health; policy
• Online Access: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol7/iss4/5/

Improving the physical environment and Indigenous participation in environmental decision-making is inherently related to the improvement of health among Indigenous Peoples. Improving the state of the physical environment necessitates increased involvement by Indigenous communities in decision-making and policy development. This involvement must integrate local traditional knowledge (TK) as an important tool in the decolonization of environmental decision-making, and a necessary step towards the improvement of Indigenous health. With a focus on the physical environment as a social determinant of Indigenous health, this article highlights the need for increased Indigenous participation in the decision-making process on environmental issues and proposes a framework to accomplish this outcome. Indigenous-centred policy frameworks should include the following five key principles: (a) the recognition of Indigenous knowledge, (b) the recognition of the inherent right to self-determination, (c) the use of an inclusive and integrative knowledge system, (d) the use of community-based participatory approaches, and (e) the use of circular and holistic viewpoints.