The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance were developed to ensure that data involving Indigenous Peoples is used in ways that prioritize Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics. These principles complement the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) but shift the focus from data characteristics to people and purpose, especially in relation to Indigenous rights and sovereignty.
| C |
Collective Benefit
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|---|---|
| A |
Authority to Control
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| R |
Responsibility
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E |
Ethics
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Author
Lydia Jennings
Producer
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
Year
Indigenous land management practices result in higher species richness, less deforestation, and land degradation than non-Indigenous strategies. Many environmental researchers, data repositories, and data service operations recognize the importance of collaborating with Indigenous nations, supporting their environmental stewardship practices, and aligning land stewardship mechanisms with Indigenous rights. Yet these individuals and organizations do not always know the appropriate processes to achieve these partnerships. Calls for government agencies to collaborate with Indigenous land stewards require an increasing awareness of what Indigenous data are and how to manage these data. Indigenous data sovereignty underscores Indigenous rights and interests and can provide a structure for data practices.
In this seminar talk, Dr. Lydia Jennings discusses what constitutes Indigenous data, how to apply an Indigenous data sovereignty framework to environmental research, examples of Indigenous data governance, Tribal Nations’ leading the scientific inquiry process, and how environmental scientists can co-create with Indigenous communities to answer community-driven research questions.
The CARE principles were developed in response to the FAIR principles of the broader open data movement. While FAIR promotes increased data sharing and reuse, it does so without explicitly addressing power imbalances or the historical and social contexts surrounding data, particularly for Indigenous communities.
This emphasis on openness can conflict with the goals of the Indigenous Data Sovereignty movement, which emphasizes the rights of Indigenous Peoples to govern the collection, access, and use of data related to their communities, lands, and cultures. The CARE principles complement FAIR by centering people and purpose. Together, FAIR and CARE can guide more equitable and culturally respectful data practices.
