Earthwatch – Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Funder’s website

The funder’s website can be found HERE.

Funding Value and Duration

$20,000 – 80,000 for three (3) years.

Overview

The Earthwatch Traditional Ecological Knowledge RFP invites pre-proposals for research from Indigenous researchers and non-Indigenous collaborators for projects that will incorporate TEK, “Western” scientific process, and participatory or community-based science into this single Braided Knowledge System. With this model, we seek to support projects that take measurable action to address global change in agricultural, coastal, wetland, grassland and forest ecosystems by:

• Increasing this Braided Knowledge System and public awareness of environmental challenges, while providing locally relevant
  solutions and actions
• • Increasing partnerships among local peoples, Indigenous communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, and corporations at local and international levels
• Informing management plans and environmental policies.

All pre-proposals must be hypothesis-driven, have quantifiable goals, measurable direct impacts, and an overarching research theme directly related to taking action to address extinction and loss of biodiversity. Because meeting these challenges requires a whole-ecosystem approach, we are specifically interested in contributions that incorporate keystone species to address biodiversity loss. For research that takes place in or near land managed by Indigenous communities, pre-proposals must incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), defined as a cumulative body of knowledge and beliefs, handed down through generations about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment. We strongly welcome pre-proposals that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Global Biodiversity Framework
that will improve human livelihoods and support scientists in emerging nations. We seek projects in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America.

Suggested topic areas include;

• Restoring native species of plants and animals that are of high cultural value, such as bison, salmon, herring, shellfish, loons, important plants, and apex predators
• Native seed programs and invasive species control
• Food-web relationships driven by pollinators, apex predators, and herbivores, and their effects on ecosystem productivity, resiliency, and biodiversity
• Determining how climate-change impacts on agriculture, coastal areas, and forestry systems effect water availability and quality, nutrient flow, maintenance of species diversity, and carbon sequestration
• Climate-smart agriculture (food security and climate change)
• Soil conservation and health, soil carbon restoration, and soil erosion control
• Human-wildlife coexistence, including noninvasive pest control and reduction of wildlife damage to crops and forests
• Ecological restoration, with a focus on repairing the damage humans have done to ecosystems through colonialism.

The full overview can be found HERE.