This article challenges the Constitutional Court's rigid formalist doctrine of legal standing by critically analysing the position of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) in judicial reviews of the Papua Special Autonomy Law. Currently, the Court's strict taxonomy of applicants paradoxically disenfranchises the MRP, creating a dogmatic tension between the asymmetric constitutional guarantees of indigenous rights (Article 18B of the 1945 Constitution) and actual access to constitutional justice. This study aims to expand existing standing doctrines by proposing a theoretical reconstruction of the MRP. Using normative legal research with statutory, conceptual, and case approaches, the study demonstrates that the MRP cannot be treated as a mere product of ordinary legislation. The analysis reveals that the MRP operates as a "functionally constitutional state institution" and a "hybrid constitutional proxy." Its authority is not merely delegated statutory power, but constitutionalised authority essential for protecting the collective rights of Indigenous Papuans (OAP). Restricting its access based on structural formalism constitutes a direct impairment of these constitutional rights. The study concludes with specific policy implications: de lege lata, the Constitutional Court must progressively reinterpret Article 51 of the Constitutional Court Law to accommodate hybrid cultural organs; de lege ferenda, targeted amendments to the Constitutional Court and Special Autonomy Laws are required, alongside the introduction of a limited constitutional complaint mechanism, to permanently secure the MRP's standing and institutionalize a constitutional pathway for indigenous peoples' defense

Purpose This article examines the Sámi Ownership and Data Access (SODA) principles as a Sámi-led framework for Indigenous data governance and analyzes their implications for archival and information science. It addresses the gap between Sámi claims to ownership and authority over data and dominant institutional regimes grounded in legal custodianship and open data mandates. Design/methodology/approach The study develops a conceptual framework that operationalizes the CARE and SODA principles as analytical lenses. Through a comparative synthesis of FAIR, CARE and SODA, it structures the analysis around four dimensions: ownership, authority, access and ethical accountability, drawing on Indigenous data sovereignty scholarship and Sámi historical contexts. Findings The analysis shows that FAIR-oriented regimes prioritize technical openness and institutional ownership, risking extractive practices. While CARE re-centers collective benefit and authority, SODA advances governance by explicitly asserting collective Sámi ownership. Archival decisions about appraisal, access and stewardship are thus revealed as political sites shaping Indigenous rights and self-determination. Originality/value The article introduces SODA to archival and information science and positions Indigenous data governance as a core archival concern. By translating CARE and SODA into an operational framework, it provides tools for evaluating whether data infrastructures support Indigenous self-determination within Nordic contexts.

This article is an ethnography of the Hitnü, a nomadic Indigenous people who, due to killings and threats, sought refuge in the city of Arauca, on the border with Venezuela (northeastern Colombia). It examines the urban experience of poverty and exclusion in a context of Indigenous rights and differentiated policies offered to the displaced and Indigenous peoples and demonstrates how different forms of violence affect their health and limit effective responses to illness. A four-month ethnographic study (2023-2024) was carried out, during which one of the authors lived with 68 members (12 families) of the El Alcaraván settlement in Arauca, Colombia. The data provide insight into the settlement's living conditions, the experience of illness in the urban context, the search for medical care, and the manifestations of violence. Respiratory infections and diarrhea are common among the Hitnü, and cases of tuberculosis and Chagas disease were also identified. So-called "mild illnesses" are managed through family-based self-care and treatment provided by the cacique, whereas "difficult illnesses" require biomedical intervention. Structural violence shapes both the burden of disease and the ways the Hitnü treat their ailments, particularly due to food insecurity, lack of drinking water, and inadequate sanitation. Venezuelan migrants, despite being foreigners, receive greater humanitarian assistance, generating tensions with the Hitnü. Physicians' practices tend to be hegemonic, highly medicalized, and revictimizing. Health services must be grounded in the actual needs of the Hitnü and guided by an intercultural approach based on the findings of this study. Ensuring a safe territory would prevent the reproduction of direct, structural, and symbolic violence, and reduce health inequities.

Madhav Gadgil was an evolutionary ecologist and champion of governmental and intergovernmental policies for biodiversity conservation, human coexistence with nature, and indigenous rights to land, natural resources, and self-governance. He made foundational contributions to the development of biodiversity sciences, human ecology, people’s traditional knowledge—and inherent rights to that knowledge as documented through biodiversity registers. Gadgil advocated a coherent policy integrating human welfare and biodiversity conservation in India. He will be remembered as an academic giant and an unmatched thinker, policy advocate, institution-builder, and humanitarian.

The growing global emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, data-driven research, and knowledge economies has intensified longstanding debates around the ownership, control, and ethical use of Indigenous knowledge systems. In Fiji and the wider Pacific, these debates are deeply rooted in colonial histories that facilitated the extraction, documentation, and external control of Indigenous knowledge without meaningful consent, recognition, or benefit-sharing. This paper critically examines the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, colonial legacies, and intellectual property rights (IPR) within the context of education and research in the Pacific region, with particular focus on Fiji. Drawing on decolonial theory, critical pedagogy, and Indigenous epistemological frameworks, the study interrogates how historical and contemporary research practices have contributed to what can be conceptualized as epistemic dispossession, where Indigenous communities have been systematically excluded from ownership and governance of their own knowledge systems. The paper further explores how existing international legal instruments and policy frameworks, including those advanced by UNESCO and World Intellectual Property Organization, attempt to address issues of intellectual property protection, while highlighting their limitations in adequately safeguarding communal, oral, and culturally embedded knowledge traditions characteristic of Pacific societies. The analysis situates Fiji within the broader Pacific discourse, emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive and community-centred approaches to research, education, and policy development. It argues that prevailing Western-centric intellectual property regimes often fail to recognize collective ownership, intergenerational knowledge transmission, and the relational nature of Indigenous epistemologies. As a result, there is an urgent need to reconceptualize intellectual property frameworks to align with Indigenous worldviews, ensuring that knowledge is not commodified or appropriated in ways that undermine cultural integrity and sovereignty. Furthermore, the paper examines emerging efforts to reclaim ownership and agency, including the integration of Indigenous knowledge into national curricula, the development of ethical research protocols, and the strengthening of community-led governance structures. It highlights the role of higher education institutions, policymakers, and researchers in advancing equitable partnerships that prioritize informed consent, reciprocity, and benefit-sharing. The study also addresses the implications of digital technologies and AI, which present both opportunities for preservation and risks of further exploitation of Indigenous knowledge. Ultimately, this paper contributes to ongoing scholarly and policy debates by proposing a transformative framework for reclaiming Indigenous intellectual sovereignty in Fiji and the Pacific. It calls for a shift from extractive research paradigms toward inclusive, ethical, and decolonized approaches that respect Indigenous rights, promote cultural sustainability, and ensure that knowledge production serves the communities from which it originates.

ABSTRACT Despite advances in international human rights standards, neo-extractivism continues to threaten the vulnerable existence of Indigenous Peoples. This text seeks to reflect on how domestic mechanisms, despite their limitations, can be used to strengthen indigenous territorial rights through ‘transitional territorial safeguards’ amid institutional insecurity in land tenure. Using the perspective of socio-legal mobilisation, the study examines three cases: the use of administrative measures in Bolivia, the internationalisation of constitutional safeguards in Ecuador, and strategic judicial oversight against environmental damage in Chile. The study identifies a spectrum of resistance strategies that challenge extractivist hegemony from within the state. By applying a ‘power dimensions’ framework, the analysis demonstrates that socio-legal mobilisation enables domestic mechanisms to move beyond their role as mere technical procedures and to empower communities to promote the effective implementation of human rights.

ABSTRACT Australia’s oceans face rapid climate and coastal changes, impacting national productivity, prosperity, security, and well-being. Healthy, resilient, and sustainably managed oceans require future-ready, national marine research infrastructure to support maritime industries, biodiversity conservation, climate forecasting and adaptation, and coastal development. Marine research infrastructure provides the foundations for scientific discovery, international collaboration, knowledge exchange across sectors, marine STEM training, and more. Over the past 10 years, national marine research infrastructure has been strengthened through strategic national-scale investments, improved coordination, and deployment of cutting-edge technologies. However, substantial challenges remain that constrain Australia’s sovereign capability, maritime security, economic progress, leadership, and preparedness for emerging challenges. This paper identifies the current state of Australia’s marine research infrastructure, examines key barriers and enablers, and outlines priority actions for the next decade to meet current and growing needs. Key actions to deliver and sustain a future-ready marine research infrastructure include embedding Indigenous priorities and rights in planning and use, scaling-up and securing long-term research vessel capability, modernising research infrastructure, maintaining and expanding observing systems to fill critical gaps, exploring sovereign satellite capacity, advancing sensor technologies, strengthening coordination and governance across research infrastructure capabilities, and building a skilled workforce.

Untangling indigenous land rights: Compensating cultural and spiritual losses caused by mining activities in South Africa

ABSTRACT Longwa Village, straddling the Indo-Myanmar border, highlights the challenges of indigenous governance under state-imposed borders. Longwa Konyak people, whose ancestral lands span both countries, practice shifting agriculture across the border, a livelihood now threatened by India’s proposed border fencing. This fence would disrupt their transnational agricultural cycles, violating their economic and social rights. Additionally, the issue of dual citizenship complicates their sovereignty and self-determination, further marginalizing their identities. This paper examines how these measures conflict with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). Drawing on field observations and primary data, it argues that Longwa exemplifies the need to uphold indigenous rights in borderlands. The study explores how international legal frameworks like UNDRIP can challenge restrictive border policies and promote governance models that support cross-border cooperation and indigenous sovereignty.

Socio-environmental conflicts associated with large-scale economic projects in Indigenous territories are well documented, but conflicts in coastal areas remain largely unexplored, despite the crucial differences between inland and coastal ecosystems. While the empirical literature about socio-environmental conflicts in Indigenous territories in coastal areas is growing, the role of financial institutions and corporations in these conflicts is often overlooked. This study addresses this gap by examining the financial institutions and corporations associated with more than 400 reported socio-environmental conflicts affecting Indigenous Peoples in coastal areas worldwide. Our results show that most financial institutions supporting projects linked to conflicts are based in West Europe and North America, with North American financial institutions linked to multiple projects. The energy sector accounts for the highest number of socio-environmental conflicts, particularly those involving corporations operating across continents. Many European and North American corporations operate mostly in Africa, but also globally. Corporations with overseas operations are associated with a higher intensity of conflicts. These findings highlight the need to scrutinize financial investments and corporate practices driving socio-environmental conflicts in coastal Indigenous territories, where human rights are often at risk. The lack of due diligence and accountability in applying environmental and social safeguards weakens protections for both ecosystems and Indigenous communities. Strengthening the enforcement of national and international laws on environmental sustainability, human rights and Indigenous rights is therefore essential for coastal development projects.

Toward an integrated sustainability transition: Conserving forest by enhancing Indigenous rights

Despite the constitutional guarantees provided by the Indonesian State to recognize and respect the existence of indigenous communities, the implementation of these rights remains problematic. In West Kalimantan, a province rich in both cultural diversity and natural resources, a sharp contradiction exists: while legal frameworks for recognition are expanding, indigenous peoples continue to face systematic marginalization, particularly regarding land tenure and ancestral domain. This study aims to analyze the legal-political paradox in which formal state recognition often serves as a mechanism of exclusion rather than empowerment. It seeks to uncover the underlying factors that cause legal instruments to fail to protect indigenous constitutional rights, against the backdrop of large-scale extractive industries and bureaucratic hurdles. This research employs a qualitative socio-legal approach. Data were gathered through a combination of normative legal research—analyzing constitutional mandates, national laws, and local regulations (Perda)—and empirical observations of land disputes and administrative recognition processes in West Kalimantan. The findings reveal that the “paradox of recognition” is driven by two primary factors: first, overly complex administrative requirements for legal status that transform a fundamental right into a “state-granted” privilege; and second, the dominance of developmentalist agendas that prioritize investment over indigenous sovereignty. Consequently, legal recognition in West Kalimantan often serves as a “formal mask” that stabilizes state authority while indigenous communities remain vulnerable to displacement and criminalization. The study concludes that true constitutional protection requires a paradigm shift from a state-centric recognition model to a rights-based approach that honors the self-identification of indigenous peoples.

Health systems across Canada are increasingly committing to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis data sovereignty and Indigenous-led data governance frameworks. However, many organizations struggle to translate these commitments into practice. Uncertainty regarding Indigenous data governance, combined with concerns about misusing Indigenous data or violating emerging sovereignty principles, has produced a "freezing effect," where Indigenous data are collected but under-analyzed, under-reported, or avoided altogether. This hesitation can perpetuate the invisibility of anti-Indigenous racism and inequities in care. This article provides a brief overview of Indigenous data sovereignty and its grounding in Indigenous rights frameworks, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Drawing on the experience of Providence Health Care in British Columbia, the article describes how Indigenous-led governance structures, data stewardship, and improvements in Indigenous self-identification processes can enable the ethical use of Indigenous health data to monitor inequities and inform quality improvement in health systems.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of existing protection measures in safeguarding indigenous land rights in Sepaku and Samboja, East Kalimantan, within the context of the capital city of Indonesia. This study employs a comprehensive methodology, including a literature review, legal analysis, and field investigations. It examines the legal framework, institutional coordination, and impact of land use policies on indigenous communities. The data were collected via interviews and document analysis. This study reveals a pressing need to strengthen regulatory design and law enforcement to protect indigenous land tenure rights. This text highlights the challenges faced by indigenous peoples due to deforestation, land disputes, and the transformation of land for urban development. The research underscores the necessity of improved cross-sectoral authority and coordination within the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. This study provides valuable insights into the complex issues surrounding land tenure rights and indigenous communities in the context of the capital city of Nusantara. The text contributes to the ongoing discourse on environmental protection, indigenous rights, and the sustainability of land use policies in Indonesia. The findings provide practical recommendations for enhancing legal protection and mitigating deforestation in high-demand land areas, ultimately benefiting both the environment and local communities.

Abstract Indigenous Peoples in northern Alberta, including Dené and Cree of the Athabasca Chipewyan and Mikisew Cree First Nations (ACFN and MCFN), have been using Indigenous laws and stewardship principles to care for their homelands for thousands of years. Since ACFN and MCFN signed Treaty 8 with Canada in 1899, Alberta's land management policies and practices have resulted in the erosion of values that support their ways of life. Boreal caribou (tâdzié in Dené; sagow atihk in Cree; Rangifer tarandus ) are a keystone species for the two Nations, but their habitat has been degraded by industrial development over several decades. Alberta's existing policy to protect and recover boreal caribou has not been followed, leading to precipitous population declines. The Tâdzié‐Sagow Atihk Stewardship Plan re‐establishes ACFN and MCFN ways of looking after tâdzié/sagow atihk by centring Dené and Cree laws and stewardship principles. It begins with an Elders Declaration, a legal document that asserts the rights and responsibilities of the Nations to make decisions for their homelands. An Elders Advisory Group supported the interpretation of knowledge shared by more than 200 Elders and Knowledge Holders into goals, principles and stewardship protocols. Our team verified the spatially explicit plan with Elders and Knowledge Holders, using consensus‐based approaches adhering to Dené and Cree decision‐making protocols. Here, we compare the Stewardship Plan and Alberta's current approaches to boreal caribou recovery against seven tenets of an Indigenous‐centred, place‐based approach to stewardship and identify ways in which Alberta's caribou recovery initiatives can learn from Dené and Cree laws and stewardship principles through centring relationships, Indigenous Rights and reciprocal responsibilities. Canada has made several relevant commitments that are aligned with supporting the implementation of the Tâdzié‐Sagow Atihk Stewardship Plan. Given the important role that provincial and territorial governments in Canada play in land and resource management, and the ongoing failure to meaningfully protect and recover tâdzié/sagow atihk habitat in some of these jurisdictions, we discuss actions that Canada's federal government must take to enable the implementation of place‐based, Indigenous‐led stewardship plans across jurisdictions. Policy implications . Articulating Indigenous laws and stewardship practices through Indigenous stewardship plans, like the Tâdzié‐Sagow Atihk Stewardship Plan, is an important step towards reconciliation and addressing cumulative effects. To fully realize the potential of these plans, we must shift the paradigm towards Indigenous stewardship and collectively achieve co‐governance through shared decision‐making and exercising self‐determination. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

This study investigates the pivotal role of customary law (hukum adat) in preserving ulayat (communal) land within the Baduy indigenous community of Indonesia, navigating the complexities of modern legal pluralism. Employing a qualitative socio-legal methodology, this research utilizes purposive sampling involving traditional authorities, specifically the Puun and Jaro. The findings reveal that Baduy land governance is a holistic integration of social, spiritual, and ecological dimensions, in which land is venerated as a sacred ancestral trust (karuhun) rather than a fungible economic commodity. Consequently, traditional norms strictly prohibit land alienation and individual certification. These protective mechanisms are enforced through a sophisticated hierarchical leadership structure in which the Jaro implements both preventive norms and restorative sanctions to maintain communal integrity. Despite formal recognition through regional regulations, this study identifies critical friction between national agrarian policies, external economic pressures, and indigenous autonomy. The research concludes that the Baduy model provides a resilient, sustainable paradigm for land governance. It advocates for a substantive harmonization between state legislation and customary frameworks to ensure the enduring protection of indigenous territorial rights against contemporary developmental encroachment.

New Zealand began reform of its health system in 2018 with the commissioning of the Health and Disability System Review. The emergence of a specific rural health strategy was contributed to significantly by: the restructuring of the healthcare system with a focus on equity; the increased awareness of geographic inequities for rural communities with the emergence of high-quality research data demonstrating clear rural/urban health disparities; and the emergence of the Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network as a single strong collective membership-led and driven, advocacy voice for health care in rural communities. The Rural Health Strategy was developed by the Ministry of Health and approved by government, with input from the Māori Health Authority (disestablished in 2024), Health New Zealand, other government agencies, and engagement with the health sector, stakeholders and the general public. Historically, rural areas in New Zealand have faced many challenges in health service coverage and health outcomes compared with urban areas. Generic rural classifications have underestimated rural health needs and failed to highlight health inequities in rural communities. The new Geographic Classification for Health has now addressed this issue in New Zealand. The Rural Health Strategy identifies five priorities over the next 10 years: considering rural communities as a priority group; prevention; services are available closer to home for rural communities; rural communities are supported to access services at a distance; and a valued and flexible workforce (including integrated, broader and different workforce models). Over time, monitoring of the implementation of the priorities of the strategy, and monitoring of overall health outcomes for rural communities, will assess the progress made towards the vision set out in the Rural Health Strategy. The emergence of better information on rural health outcomes, together with effective advocacy for rural health, contributed to rural communities becoming a priority group for the New Zealand Government, thus mandating the development of a Rural Health Strategy. The resulting Rural Health Strategy is a key first step towards rural health equity and improving rural health outcomes in New Zealand. Lessons learnt through this process include, but are not limited to: the value of strong collaboration among, and advocacy by, rural health stakeholders; the role of the Office for Rural Communities in assessing rural community impacts and rural proofing policy changes across government; the importance of evidence-based policies and interventions in rural areas; the potential for fostering learning/solution showcasing across local levels; the central role of community engagement and empowerment; and the importance of emphasising Indigenous rights and cultural responsiveness in health care.

ABSTRACT Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among Belizean Maya and Garifuna communities, this paper forefronts the therapeutics of sensory experience in traditional healing practice. Exploring the sensory aspects of daily ecological interactions and asking which ways community heritage practices become constitutive of healing practices, it engages the embodied ecological heritage (EEH) framework to ask how these practices respond to ongoing forces of imperial projects. This paper brings together research around Indigenous land rights and identity-making in times of change with the author’s personal experience of grief and collective healing toward a sensory ecology of therapeutics as a responsive, anti-colonial, community healing practice.

Why Indigenous rights are reshaping archaeology in Canada Archaeological practice is transforming in Canada to recognize Indigenous rights to and governance over cultural heritage. Dr. Kisha Supernant, Director at the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology, tells us more. Archaeology in Canada is at a critical juncture. Once treated primarily as a technical discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the material traces of the past, archaeology is now increasingly recognized as a site where Indigenous rights, governance, and cultural heritage are actively negotiated. For much of its history, archaeology functioned as a colonial practice: Indigenous ancestors were removed from the ground, cultural knowledge was extracted, and interpretations were produced without Indigenous consent or involvement. These actions were often justified in the name of science or heritage protection, but they also contributed to the ongoing denial of Indigenous rights.

ABSTRACT This paper explores the spatial dimension of Indigenous citizenship by examining how it is experienced, negotiated and enacted during a road blockade in the Argentinean Chaco. It investigates the ways in which citizenship is claimed and reshaped by analysing a road blockade as an ‘act of citizenship’. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2016 and 2018, including on‐the‐ground observations and interviews, the paper highlights the blockade as a critical site and moment for observing the dynamic framing and reframing of Indigenous citizenship in relation to shifting power relations. The analysis situates the blockade within broader debates about the political dimension of infrastructure and the way in which these can influence the shaping of Indigenous citizenship in South American frontiers. The Argentine context is particularly relevant due to the State's ongoing reluctance to fully recognise Indigenous difference and rights. Through a detailed account of the Provincial Road 54 blockade in Salta province, organised by Indigenous fishermen, the paper demonstrates how such mobilisations contribute to the ongoing redefinition of Indigenous citizenship. The findings underscore the importance of attending to local meanings and claims, rather than imposing external categories, in understanding the evolving relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state. More broadly, the paper highlights the importance of considering the spatial dimension in analysing the sociopolitical processes underway in Indigenous lands.