Recognizing Indigenous and Traditional Peoples and Their Identity, Culture, Rights, and Governance of Forestlands: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the diversity of international research on the multiple ways in which Indigenous and Traditional peoples (ITP) are engaged in occupying and governing forest landscapes, consistent with their rights, values, knowledge and customs. This Introduction begins by reviewing our evolving understanding of two key questions: what rights are held by ITP; and how Indigenous" and "Traditional" are actually defined. Papers in this Special Issue examine different concepts in more than a dozen countries on five continents and, while each study and each people is distinct, we identify several common themes. Firstly, traditional knowledge, values, and practices are central to the relationship between ITP and forest landscapes and underlie the effectiveness of other interventions. Secondly, early efforts to use forests to promote economic development have given way to a deeper understanding of the ways in which diverse products, services, and cultural values of forest landscapes support livelihoods for both ITP and other populations. Thirdly, governance is a common theme in this Special Issue, especially in terms of relations between ITP and the State and in the effectiveness of policies and programs. A fourth theme is that of understanding how the knowledge, practices and values of individuals and groups can help predict perceptions of forests and preferences for management. Finally, this Special Issue showcases a wide variety of methodological approaches, both qualitative and quantitative, helping researchers recognize the advantages and limits of each. Taken together, the papers in this Special Issue illustrate multiple characteristics of relationships between ITP and forest landscapes, and their aspirations to maintain their culture, their knowledge, their rights, and their livelihoods.