At the 2020 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, Climate Science Alliance team member Connor Magee shared the story of the CSA Tribal Workgroup illustrating case studies of collaborative projects, partnerships, and the value of this model for advancing the resilience of our region’s communities now and into the future.
The Climate Science Alliance’s Tribal Working Group (TWG) was established in 2017 through a partnership of Southwestern Tribes, and has since grown to include 30+ members and 20+ Tribes working collaboratively to test climate smart strategies that will ensure Tribal resilience for generations to come. Through the use of education, environmental programs, and traditional ecological knowledge, and a focus on community priorities, local ecosystems, and holistic management, the Tribal Workgroup collaborates to safeguard the lands and cultures of southern California’s Indian Tribes from the threat of climate change. The Tribal Working Group serves as a model of collaboration, innovation, and diverse partnerships that is increasingly necessary to continue and expand moving forward.
In the 2020 AGU Fall Meeting poster session, "Native Science to Action: How Indigenous Perspectives Inform, Diversify, and Build Capacity in Environmental Science and Policy II", Climate Science Alliance (CSA) Data and Research Applications Manager, Connor Magee shared the CSA model to build more resilient communities in southern California through Tribal and non-Tribal collaboration. CSA projects highlighted were: Resilient Restoration Vision Group, the Resilient Restoration Project, the Southwestern Tribal Climate Change Summit, Climate Kids-Tribes, and our position as finalist in the Salazar Center for North American Conservation’s Connectivity Challenge-Catalyzing Connectivity for Tribal Cultural and Community Resilience.
The Climate Science Alliance as well as many other presenters in the "Native Science to Action" session shared that perspectives of Indigenous peoples can bring deep insight to the study and management of complex environmental systems through Indigenous holistic approaches to problem solving and ways of knowing. These perspectives can inform and enrich western scientific research and discussions of policy in areas related to sustainability, human-environment interactions, ecosystems, climate adaptation, geohealth, and more. Although western science started to acknowledge the importance of Indigenous knowledges, voices of Indigenous peoples are largely absent from scholarly discourse, restoration and conservation planning. In the session, our poster focused on sharing how following the lead from Tribal partners led to successful initiatives in climate adaptation and resilience building in the region.
Climate Science Alliance highlighted the Tribal Working Group achievements in education, environmental programs, and traditional ecological knowledge. The Tribal Working Group demonstrated how community priorities, local ecosystems, and collaborative work safeguards the lands and cultures of southern California’s Tribes from the threat of climate change.