“A new study* examines how current research practices can improve the governance of Indigenous data. That can include data about Indigenous ecosystems, health, cultural practices and language, and it’s often collected by Indigenous people.

Assistant professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth Lydia Jennings, a citizen of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, is the lead author of the study. She spoke with NHPR’s All Things Consideredhost Julia Furukawa about her work.”

Read the transcript at Hew Hampshire Public Radio.

Abstract

In the age of big data and open science, what processes are needed to follow open science protocols while upholding Indigenous Peoples’ rights? The Earth Data Relations Working Group (EDRWG), convened to address this question and envision a research landscape that acknowledges the legacy of extractive practices and embraces new norms across Earth science institutions and open science research. Using the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) as an example, the EDRWG recommends actions, applicable across all phases of the data lifecycle, that recognize the sovereign rights of Indigenous Peoples and support better research across all Earth Sciences.

*Jennings, L., Jones, K., Taitingfong, R. et al. Governance of Indigenous data in open earth systems science. Nat Commun 16, 572 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53480-2

Other IN members on the study include Dominique David-Chavez, 
Rosanna ‘Anolani Alegado, and Stephanie Russo Carroll, as well as their lab members