The 2026 GYA Sasha Kagansky Interdisciplinary Grant supports a project led by Dr.rer.nat. Yolanda López-Maldonado (Indigenous Science), Dr Branislav Pantović (DiploCientifica) and Dr Cristian Ruben Juárez (Independent Researcher) that seeks to operationalize an Indigenous Science Diplomacy (ISD) approach and to develop a protocol to strengthen international environmental governance concerning biodiversity.
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Indigenous Peoples have developed complex, sophisticated, place-based and intergenerational knowledge systems that are essential for addressing contemporary global challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, water insecurity and language loss, among others. While international environmental governance is increasingly aware of Indigenous knowledge, such recognition often does not translate into meaningful participation over scientific assessments, negotiations, or policy decisions. Institutional hierarchies, unequal representation and linguistic barriers frequently constrain which forms of knowledge are considered legitimate and who determines the terms of their use.
The ISD approach project seeks to address these challenges by advancing beyond conventional approaches to knowledge recognition. By acknowledging Indigenous science and diplomacy as co-equal sources of authority, the project will develop and evaluate a protocol for Indigenous-led engagement in international biodiversity governance. The project will also examine if the global “science divide” is about unequal infrastructure and/or resources, or if it also stems from the exclusion of Indigenous and other diverse knowledge systems from definitions of “legitimate science”. This research follows a multidisciplinary framework, combining Indigenous science and governance, Earth sciences, linguistics, and international relations to operationalize the Indigenous Science Diplomacy (ISD) approach that will yield a protocol for more equitable engagement between knowledge systems and international policy institutions.
The ISD approach seeks to restructure the architecture of global environmental policy and to identify opportunities for cooperation based on mutual respect and reciprocity. The project will be structured as an Indigenous-led policy lab, testing a practical approach to strengthen ISD as a pathway toward a more inclusive global environmental policy. This project argues that addressing environmental crises requires broadening both access to science and the definition of science itself. The project proposes three international activities for the ISD operationalization:
The project also aims to influence multilateral processes. Anticipated outputs include an institutional mapping of barriers and opportunities as a top-down strategy, a tested ISD Protocol, a research report and an Indigenous-led policy brief with bottom-up recommendations for more equitable science-policy engagement. The project explicitly avoids assuming that Indigenous knowledge must be translated into mainstream scientific categories to achieve policy relevance.
By integrating environmental research, Indigenous knowledge governance, linguistic analysis and science diplomacy, the project examines how international institutions can engage with multiple knowledge systems without perpetuating existing inequalities. The broader aim is to advance a model of science diplomacy that recognizes Indigenous Peoples as knowledge holders, rights-holders and decision-makers in global environmental governance, rather than solely as consultees or observers. It also proposes to identify concrete barriers and opportunities of Indigenous diplomatic practices, as developed by Indigenous representatives.
