Integrating perspectives for conversations on territory: turning to indigenous knowledge to inform policy and practice

Decisions related to policies and practices that strive for environmental protection and rural development often impact Indigenous people across the globe in ways that affect their traditional livelihoods. However, Indigenous leaders, knowledge systems, and their relationship with the territories they occupy tend to be excluded from conversations that inform these policies and practices. This paper adds to the ongoing conversation on conceptualization of territory and landscapes by bringing to the forefront the contribution of Indigenous epistemologies such as the Mik’maw framework of Two-Eyed Seeing. This framework highlights the complementarity of Western and Indigenous knowledge systems and posits that considering both systems, we can enact more effective approaches to sustainability and relationship with the land. Drawing on a qualitative case study research carried out by the author, the paper examines the impact of the top-down process of territory demarcation in the Biosphere Reserve of Bosawas in Nicaragua and the negative repercussions that excluding Indigenous knowledge systems can have at the local level. The paper concludes by offering possible ways to address ongoing colonialist conceptualizations and demarcations of territories.