OUR TEAM

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I am a Quechua (K’uchea) community leader based in Cusco, Peru with a background in agro-ecology (BSc from McGill University). I have worked as a human rights advocate and food security leader in my own country and am currently the President of Asociación ANDES in Cusco, Peru. In this organization, I work with women and men, youth and elders, nurturing the evolution and diffusion of Indigenous epistemologies and conceptual frameworks, including Biocultural Heritage and its application in the planning and management of Indigenous territorialities. I will lead the proposed project in the Andes, if funded and play a co-coordinating role as Co-PI of the project (drawing on my research on Indigenous food systems) to ensure that we are able to achieve our objectives (Obj.1-3) across all biocultural regions and have a measure impact. 

I am a Research Program Manager in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta. I coordinate and support Dr. Brenda Parlee's international research initiatives. As a descendant of a nomadic herder, I co-trained an MSc student's research on participatory mapping in the Mongolian mining region. With my colleagues, I also track livelihood changes in the Mongolian Gobi Desert amid the global green energy transition. Through this research, I organized two workshops and attended two other international workshops with Mongolian herders. We presented our research outcomes at international conferences, including IASNR (International Association for Society and National Resources), Canada Hub, and successfully organized panel discussions at UNCCD COP17 Mongolia.

Brenda L. Parlee is a 'settler' scholar from north-eastern Ontario, Canada.   She has a B.A.  from the University of Guelph (1995), and an M.E.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo (1998).  She went on to receive her PhD from the University of Manitoba in Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) in 2005. During 2004-2024, Brenda was a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) at the University of Alberta. She is currently Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Bieler Chair in Northern Climate Change and Sustainability at McGill University. Brenda has worked in northern Canada and globally for over 27 years on a range of collaborative and community-based research projects related to community-based monitoring, social-ecological change in the Mackenzie River Basin, wildlife health, Indigenous knowledge of caribou populations,  sustainable resource development, the impacts of mining on community well being, biodiversity conservation and cooperative (co-management) of lands and resources in Alberta.

I am an Inuvialuit elder, hunter and community member from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. I have worked for decades in my own community teaching youth about Inuvialuit traditions. Although I lost my arm in an accident as a child, I have been an active land user and support educating our youth and supporting research (e.g., beluga monitoring). My role in the project will be to support Inuvialuit youth as they develop climate change innovations based on our Inuvialuit knowledge that can improve our food security and support our continued leadership in the arctic.

I am an Inuk youth and former director of the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Organization in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. I am passionate about filmmaking and working with other youth in my community on environmental stewardship projects, including caring for the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area. I have served as an ambassador for C3, which is an initiative of the Students on Ice Foundation. My role in the project will be to lead the research on climate change innovation in the Arctic region based on the Indigenous Knowledge of Inuvialuit youth.

Dave Blaine is a GIS Analyst, researcher, and interdisciplinary scholar whose work explores the intersections of Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage, climate adaptation, and digital storytelling. He holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Athabasca University, with specializations in Heritage and Social History and Writing and New Media, and a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Geographic Information Systems. Through his work with NAIT Applied Research, Dave has contributed to Indigenous-led mapping initiatives and climate resilience projects that support community-driven stewardship, knowledge mobilization, and environmental decision-making. His research and creative practice focus on how maps, digital media, and storytelling can make complex social and environmental issues more accessible, collaborative, and meaningful.

I am the leader of Ribeirinhos Council and fought for over a decade against the damages brought by Belo Monte, the third largest hydropower dam in the world, and I see an opportunity to further the action to ban dams from the Amazon and to value sustainable practices of the Ribeirinhos people.

I am a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. I direct the Center for the Analysis of Social-Ecological Landscapes and am a Senior Fellow at the Ostrom Workshop at Indiana University-Bloomington. I hold an external professorship with the Environment-Society program of Campinas, Brazil. I also work across diverse disciplines, including agricultural sciences, anthropology and geospatial analysis, to address questions of human-environmental interaction from local to global scales.

I am social anthropologist with a forty-year history of interdisciplinary research focused on the Amazon. I am currently John A. Hannah, Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and a member of the Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences. During the last 30 years, I have worked with local communities in the Amazon on issues of climate change, land use and land cover change, food security and bioeconomy. As Co-Principal Investigator in this project, my main role will be in working with other co-leaders to coordinate work in the Amazon with ribeirinhos and mapping the sociobioeconomy, and supporting other teams and addressing objectives 1 and 3: supporting innovations that limit impacts of climate change that leads to greater food-water-land security. 

Mr. Erdenetsogt Sumiyasuren is a co founder of Public Lab Mongolia NGO, where he leads strategic planning, oversees daily operations, and advances GIS capabilities through the development and administration of data management systems. His major projects and achievements include community based mapping initiatives, land and forest cover assessments, change detection analyses across Mongolia, and the coordination and management of drought monitoring studies. He has also conducted extensive research by applying GIS, open source tools, and remote sensing technologies to environmental monitoring. He holds a Master of Science degree in Geography and Geology.

I am an Inuvialuit leader from the arctic community of Paulatuk in the Northwest Territories, Canada. I grew up harvesting beluga, caribou, and other resources in the Inuvialuit region, and I learned from my Elders how to respect and care for our territory. I have worked in many capacities serving my community both in Paulatuk, in the Northwest Territories and internationally. In 2015, I was elected to represent my region and served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Government of the Northwest Territories for four years. I retired from government have returned to serve the Inuvialuit region as a Chair of one of the oldest co-management boards in Canada (Inuvialuit Fisheries Joint Management Committee). I am also the Vice President of a pan-Inuit organization (Inuit Circumpolar Council – Canada), which is a non-profit organization led by a board of directors comprising the elected leaders of the four land-claims settlement regions: Inuvialuit, Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and Nunavut. 

I am a Professor at the Université de Quebec -Abitibi-Témiscamingue. As a Canada Research Chair in Integration of Environment in the Mine Life Cycle, my research is focused on improving environmental decisions throughout the life cycles of mines, with a particular focus on managing mine waste (in operations and at closure). My role in the project is to examine how mining within the context of the energy transition might be made more sustainable; I will contribute to work associated with Obj.,1 to identify and map sites that may present risks to the food-water-land security of

I am Professor in the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology / Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basle Switzerland. I focus on issues of livestock health and zoonosis risk in pastoralist communities. My role in the project would be in support of IPvLCs in the Sahel to carry out their research; and also contribute to policy analysis related to climate change and public health (OneHealth). 

I am a Professor of Geoecology at the Goethe University of Frankfurt with a 40-year history of working on a range of scientific and development cooperation projects in Western and Central Tropical Africa involving collaborations with local universities and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Within the scope of a DAAD short-term stay in 2018, I held lectures and organized field trips for Togolese master students. I have worked in west Africa with communities in Togo/Benin on issues of climate change and food security over the last 15 years and have aimed to strengthen capacity for research and adaptive capacity to climate change in these regions. For example, I have been involved in organizing a conference (“Natural resources, socio-ecological sensitivity and Climate Change”) in the Volta-Oti Basin of Kara, Togo and I also co-lead a joint Master’s programme involving the First Technical University (Ibadan, Nigeria) and the Université de Kara (Togo). As a Co-Principal Investigator, I will collaborate with the six other Co-PIs to lead the project and collaborate with IPvLC partners in West Africa (Togo) to carry out research in this bioregion.

I am a member of a traditional community of Kara, Togo. He has published a conference book together with Runge and has collaborated on diverse projects related to climate and environmental change in West Africa.

I am Denesọłiné youth who was raised on the land, caribou hunting, by my grandparents and parents. We have lived and cared for the caribou and areas such as Ɂehdacho kué (big caribou crossing) since time immemorial. I have worked for the Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation Band in mapping and care of our Indigenous Knowledge (e.g., Indigenous placenames mapping) for over 10 years. My main role in the project will be to work with elder and community members to protect the caribou and water from the impacts of rare-earth mining

Maria Claudia Lopez is a Professor in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University whose research focuses on environmental governance, collective action, environmental justice, and sustainable development in social-ecological systems. Trained in resource economics and influenced by the work of Ostrom, she employs participatory, mixed-methods, and community-engaged approaches to understand how communities respond to environmental change and manage shared resources. Her research spans Latin America, Africa, and North America and addresses issues including renewable energy transitions, hydropower impacts, food systems, climate adaptation, bioeconomies, and natural resource governance. In this project, I examine governance issues related to the bioeconomy in the Amazon. 

I am a Tuareg (Indigenous) woman from the Sahel region of Africa; am President of a women’s rights organization called Tin Hiinan and also a UNESCO Chair (Co-Chair) hosted at the University of Alberta. I have worked over the last 2 decades on issues of Indigenous rights, health and language revitalization.  I am former president of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, based in New York. My research and education background is in health sciences and human rights. I am a graduate of the Medical School of the Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi-Ouzou in Algeria and have a Master's degree in Humanitarian Action (University of Geneva) and B.Ed. (University of Ottawa).

I am a senior researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and a Professor at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). My research has focused on landscape ecology, land change, geospatial research and innovation for the environment and society. In this project, I lead operations in Brazil including fieldwork in Amazonian local communities with Bonada-Fuchs and Moran, mapping initiatives of sustainable land management. I also support local community leaders (drawing on my experience in ecology) to map ecological knowledge and sustainable practices.

I am a Karen (Indigenous) elder based in Chiang Mail, Thailand. I have a Doctorate in Sociology and I am currently the Director of Pgakenyaw (Karen) for Sustainable Development (PASD), and a member of the Advisory Board Committee of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation (AIPP). In the last decade I founded and was the first director of the Inter Mountain Education and Culture in Thailand Association  and the Regional Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples in Mainland SEA (IKAP).

I am a francophone scholar, Professor/Vice-dean (Academic) in the Faculty of Law, Civil Law Section, at the University of Ottawa. My research focuses on Indigenous peoples’ rights in the context of natural resources extraction in Canada and globally. I would conduct coordinated legal and policy analysis (Obj.3) with the aim of supporting IPvLCs in policy impact.

I am an Associate Professor of Sociology, Mongolian National University of Education. My research focuses on mapping of climate change impacts on Mongolian herders including women. Based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I will focus on leading the research in this research (Obj1-2) as well as supporting gender in research in all regions. 

I am an Assistant Professor of International Development and Sustainability at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and am the Director of the Institute of Management in Latin America. I have been working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities for over 15 yrs. with a focus on the impacts of development. In this project, I will support the development of participatory mapping methodologies (Obj1) as well as support policy analysis as it relates to Brazil as well as broader themes of sustainability

I am an Assistant Professor in Agricultural Economies at the University of Alberta; my PhD is in Applied Economics and Management (Cornell University). My role in the project will be in supporting research and analysis on the global patterns and trends of climate change and other stresses on food-water-land security and the ways in which the innovations of Indigenous Peoples and local communities might be recognized in agricultural policy.

I am a Professor at Meiji University in Japan with a background in climatology and expertise in environmental studies. My role in the program is to look at the latest research on industrial pollution, share my discussions with my students on this topic, and to help us re-examine the lessons we should be applying to today's society.

I am Post Doctoral researcher at the Goethe University of Frankfurt. I am very interested in the human-environment interaction. Particulary, I worked with indegenious people in the north west of Madagascar to try to understand their need and expectation regarding to natural ressources, but also to find a collectiv solution for a sustainable natural ressource management. Currently, I am working in the project Indigenious Peoples of West Africa (IPWA). I work in a team to conduct a research among the indegenious peoples in Togo and Benin. 

I am a PhD candidate in Environment and Society at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), where I research how small businesses, associations, and cooperatives linked to the sociobioeconomy can contribute to socio-ecological transformations through value creation and distribution, the strengthening of territories, and biodiversity conservation. I also work at the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), focusing on strategy, monitoring, evaluation, and sustainability.

I am a PhD researcher at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, with a background in Social Anthropology and experience with ethnographic research among extractive communities in the Brazilian Amazon. In my current work, I follow native forest seeds in the Eastern Amazon, from extractive territories to restoration initiatives in the Middle Xingu region, examining how economic dynamics and knowledge relations shape these practices.

I am a recent graduate student from the University of Alberta, MSc in Risk and Community Resilience. My thesis focused on exploring the compounding impacts of climate change and critical mineral mining on Malchid (herding peoples) livelihoods in Mongolia. We employed qualitative, community-based participatory research methods to spatially and orally document Malchid’s lived experiences, perceptions, and traditional ecological knowledge regarding the drivers that are affecting their livelihoods.

Emily Sours (she/her) works at the intersection of gender equality, climate justice, and sustainable development, with a focus on uplifting Indigenous knowledge in biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation. She has experience in international development, research, and advocacy for women, girls, LGBTQIA+ communities, and Indigenous Peoples. As Project Manager and Researcher of the Confronting Green Colonialism Project at ANDES, she coordinates collaborative research and cross-cultural partnerships to advance inclusive, Indigenous-led initiatives worldwide.

My name is Gabriela Montalvo, a law school graduate. My work has focused on the study of Peru’s environmental legal framework. I am interested in the intersection between legislation and environmental protection, particularly as it relates to the rights of indigenous communities. I am currently participating in the “Green Colonialism” project, which seeks to strengthen the biocultural heritage and self-determination of the indigenous peoples of Parque de la Papa.

 I am a Post Doctoral researcher at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) and a member of the Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM). My research focuses on the complex relationships between humans and nature, with an emphasis on bioeconomic solutions to climate change in the Amazon. I combine field research, data science, and the co-production of knowledge to support transformative change. 

SOW Jacqueline est socio-anthropologue de formation et doctorante en anthropologie et gestion des ressources naturelles à l’Université Nazi Boni (UNB), à Bobo-Dioulasso, au Burkina Faso. Ses recherches doctorales portent sur la contribution des ONG à l’organisation et à l’encadrement de l’exploitation minière artisanale. Elle est membre du Laboratoire d’études rurales sur l’environnement et le développement économique et social (LERE/DES).

Ses travaux s’inscrivent dans divers champs de l’anthropologie du changement social, notamment la sécurité, les savoirs endogènes et les dynamiques de transformation sociopolitique. Elle s’intéresse particulièrement aux questions liées aux ressources naturelles, notamment aux ressources aurifères, foncières et halieutiques.

Elle est auteure et coauteure de plusieurs articles scientifiques. Elle exerce actuellement en qualité d’assistante de recherche auprès de l’Association Tinhinan Canada.

Jacqueline SOW is trained as a socio-anthropologist and is a PhD student in anthropology and natural resource management at Nazi Boni University (UNB) in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Her doctoral research focuses on the contribution of NGOs to the organization and supervision of artisanal mining. She is a member of the Laboratory for Rural Studies on Environment and Economic and Social Development (LERE/DES).

Her work falls within various fields of the anthropology of social change, particularly security, indigenous knowledge, and sociopolitical transformation dynamics. She is especially interested in issues related to natural resources, notably gold, land, and fisheries resources.

She is the author and co-author of several scientific articles. She is currently working as a research assistant with the Tinhinan Canada Association.

Laura Gaitan is a Research Assistant and Lab Coordinator at McGill University for the Chair in Northern Climate Change and Sustainability. She brings extensive experience in federal environmental policy, international negotiations, and Indigenous partnerships, having previously served as a Junior Policy Analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), where she contributed to biodiversity policy and supported international processes like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). She also gained international experience with UNDP in Ukraine. She holds an Honours BA in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies from Concordia University.  

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Juriste de formation, je suis chercheuse et formatrice en droit international des peuples autochtones. Mes recherches doctorales à l’Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (France) portent sur les stratégies d’autodétermination des peuples autochtones du Chili et la décolonisation du droit chilien. J’ai vécu plusieurs années en territoire communautaire mapuche.
J’ai contribué à plusieurs initiatives de recherche sur les droits des peuples autochtones, notamment dans le cadre du projet ERC Scale of Governance and Indigenous Peoples (SOGIP), de la Chaire CNRS Normandie pour la paix, des travaux de l’Institut francophone pour la justice et la démocratie (IFJD) sur la justice transitionnelle et de l’Association Tinhinan Canada. Je suis actuellement coordinatrice de la Pathway nº 4, « Soutenir la justice sociale, la réconciliation et la guérison », au sein du projet Ărramăt, et consultante auprès de l’Association Tinhinan Canada.

With a background in law, I am a researcher and educator specializing in the international law of Indigenous Peoples. My doctoral research at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (France) focuses on the self-determination strategies of Indigenous Peoples in Chile and the decolonization of Chilean law. I lived for several years in Mapuche community territory.
I have contributed to several research initiatives on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including the ERC-funded project Scale of Governance and Indigenous Peoples (SOGIP), the Chaire CNRS Normandie pour la paix, research on transitional justice conducted by the Institut francophone pour la justice et la démocratie (IFJD), and the Association Tinhinan Canada. I currently coordinate Pathway No. 4, “Supporting Social Justice, Reconciliation and Healing,” within the Ărramăt project, and work as a consultant for the Association Tinhinan Canada.

My background is in Sustainability, and I am currently a PhD student at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the Post-Graduate Program in Environment and Society. My research focuses on the potential of priprioca essential oil within the context of the Amazonian sociobioeconomy, exploring its contribution to sustainable development and the valorization of Amazonian biodiversity.

I am a PhD student at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, with a background in African development studies and a strong interest in human-environment relations. My current research focuses on local knowledge, climate change adaptation, agroecology, and sustainable natural resource management. Within the project, I work with Kabyè and Peulh communities in Togo and Benin to better understand how local ecological knowledge and practices contribute to climate resilience, particularly through land management, pastoral mobility and agroecological practices. I am particularly interested in how these knowledge systems can be recognized and integrated into broader approaches to climate adaptation and environmental sustainability.

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