Local and Indigenous Decision-Making to Manage Climate Change Risks

About this Research Topic

Background

In view of the current alarming climate crisis, both scientific communities and policymakers recognize that adaptation efforts must integrate diverse knowledge systems to design robust risk management systems. Many peer-reviewed papers focus on local and indigenous knowledge and its incorporation into scientific knowledge, such as climate services. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) acknowledges and integrates indigenous knowledge from diverse sources, and the last IPCC Working Group II report has a dedicated cross-chapter box on indigenous knowledge as one of the new key aspects in the report. Transdisciplinary collaborative publication between UNESCO’s local and indigenous knowledge system (LINKS) Program, United Nations University’s traditional knowledge initiative, IPCC, and other organizations also presented various case studies to provide insight into how diverse societies around the world pass traditional knowledge through generations and how this knowledge is helpful to design adaptive solutions for the complex issue of global changes. However, most assessments and studies focus on local and indigenous knowledge in the sense of factual knowledge about the environment and practices in managing land. There is relatively little understanding of how local and indigenous communities’ decision-making strategies can provide alternative and complementary tools to address the current climate crisis. For example, indigenous and local decision-making represent multiple-use strategies that increase the multifunctional nature of agriculture and reduce climate change risks. Indigenous and local decision-making strategies are often presented in the literature as one-time actions, changing activities, and local adaptation. Consequently, rational and scientific decision-making continues to be a privilege for external professional and political institutions, for instance, in participatory action research. Our article collection aims to highlight the importance of rational local and indigenous decision-making in the context of current climate change.

The objective of the Research Topic is to assess how different indigenous and local groups and communities elaborate, implement, monitor, and evaluate through deliberate decision-making processes. Understanding the various decision-making procedures and the mutual interactions between human communities and climate and environmental changes through multidisciplinary approaches can help adopt new management strategies for addressing interconnected global challenges such as preserving resources, biodiversity, and assuring food security. Our main goal is to contribute to filling the evidence gap on the role of indigenous and local decision-making in successful adaptation. Secondly, we want to learn from experiences of maladaptation that fail to adopt such strategies. For instance, robust and diverse evidence of ecological knowledge-based decision-making processes can be highly useful for ecosystem adaptation plans. On the other hand, case studies on maladaptation can provide scientific evidence for policy and practical actions for further improvements. This Research Topic explores the integration of multidisciplinary perspectives at the interface of anthropology, socioeconomics, socio-ecology, socio-hydrology, geography, and environmental sciences. It also aims to allow a global understanding of the specificities of local and indigenous decision-making through the adoption and application of qualitative data combined with standardized quantitative parameters. We hope this article collection will provide important data about Indigenous decision-making processes and contribute to the science of decision-making to manage climate change risks.

There is a clear and urgent need to go further from the study of indigenous and local knowledge on climate change to the actionable strategies at a local scale and tight temporality in an uncertain environment. We welcome the submission of research articles that address all aspects of decision-making for managing climate change risks in indigenous and local environments across the world. We welcome articles describing deliberate decision-making processes; potential intergenerational decision-making conflicts, such as the preservation of nature and ecosystems versus short-term higher economic incomes. We particularly encourage submissions of interdisciplinary papers and case studies with innovative methodologies.

• Climate change–relevant decisions (CCRDs) for mitigation or/and adaptation
• Cognitive and deliberative processes, Multiple decision mechanisms
• Decision-making under climate urgency/emergency, temporal and spatial frames of decision-making
• Ecological knowledge-based decision-making processes
• Decision-making and developmental pathways, Interaction of decisions
• Implementation of decisions
• Intergenerational decision-making conflicts, Social, and community participation in decision making
• Governance, Enabling and interfering conditions
• Evaluation of climate actions and impacts, Performance metrics
• Successful adaptation / Maladaptation
• Frugal innovation
• Theories of deliberative democracy
• Theories of co-production
• Theories of Post-Normal Science
• Governing the commons (E. Ostrom)

Keywords: environmental governance, indigenous decision-making, local decision-making, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), risk management, adaptation, maladaptation, community-based decision-making, climate change, decision mechanisms, social participation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

  In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my Research Topic?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.