Ambio 2022, 51:813–814 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01676-x COMMENT Response to ‘‘Practice what you preach: Ensuring scientific spheres integrate Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ rights and agency too’’ by Lopez-Maldonado Victoria Reyes-Garcı́a, Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares, Yildiz Aumeeruddy-Thomas, Petra Benyei, Rainer W. Bussmann, David Garcı́a-del-Amo, Natalia Hanazaki, Ana C. Luz, Pamela McElwee, Vicky J. Meretsky, Zsolt Molnár, Isabel Ruiz-Mallén, Matthieu Salpeteur, Eduardo S. Brondizio Accepted: 16 November 2021 / Published online: 2 December 2021 Comment to: Lopez-Maldonado, Y. 2021. Practice what Our paper results from an assessment done within the you preach: Ensuring scientific spheres integrate Indige- framework of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform nous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ right and agency on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES), which has to. Ambio. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01663-2 developed one of the most inclusive processes to bring together several sources of knowledge to tackle a global challenge: In our work (Reyes-Garcı́a et al. 2021), we primarily biodiversity loss. From its conceptual framework, IPBES has address the current moment of international negotiations of promoted dialogue across different knowledge systems (Dı́az the new post-2020 biodiversity framework that will et al. 2015). Moreover, beyond a deliberate framework that directly affect Indigenous Peoples and local communities facilitates recognition of different knowledge systems from the (IPLC). We argue that current biodiversity negotiations and start, IPBES has also mobilized funding and engaged networks ensuing policies should be grounded on respecting IPLC of stakeholders with diverse worldviews (McElwee et al. rights and agency, including the recognition of Indigenous 2020). The approach followed in IPBES includes procedures and local knowledge (ILK) in environmental governance. for assessments of nature and people’s linkages with nature The paper aims to reaffirm that IPLC hold knowledge (including IPLC), participatory mechanisms, and institutional essential for governance of biodiversity; that IPLC con- arrangements for IPLC inclusion throughout the process (Hill ceptualizations of nature can help sustain local livelihoods et al. 2020). Indeed, this pioneering approach makes important and influence global visions; that IPLC engagement in steps in supporting ILK systems by respecting rights, biodiversity policy contributes to the recognition of human strengthening communities and their knowledge systems, and rights; and that IPLC inclusion is essential to ensure they supporting knowledge exchange through dialogue (Hill et al. can exercise their rights to territories and resources. Points 2020). While much can be improved, the IPBES approach raised by Lopez-Maldonado in her comment (2021) to our attempts to move beyond the colonial, extractive, or dismissive piece are broadly relevant to research related to ILK sys- efforts of those who do not value different knowledge systems. tems, but our work does not focus on this issue. The approach also proposes new pathways for an inclusive and Western science certainly has often been a colonial participatory mechanism, aligning with propositions made by enterprise (McAlvay et al. 2021). However, there have also IPLC themselves. been engagements of respect and voluntary co-production We acknowledge—as we did in our original piece- that between scientists and IPLC. Different IPLC have chosen we are non-Indigenous scholars with scientific back- to engage with non-local and non-Indigenous scientists and grounds and that this is a privileged positionality. We also researchers and to work together around common agendas acknowledge that our best attempts to reframe relations (e.g., Fernández-Llamazares et al. 2021), for which it is not between different knowledge systems are insufficient to productive to critique all science and all scientists without undo historical injustices. We wish they were. But we also acknowledging these alternative relations. Indeed, there are note that the academic community can help to signal that currently many efforts to reframe power relations among biodiversity negotiations and ensuing policies should be knowledge systems, and our work is part of these reframing grounded on respecting IPLC knowledge, rights and efforts. agency, particularly in a context in which they are not. Not Ó The Author(s) 2021 www.kva.se/en 123 814 Ambio 2022, 51:813–814 recognizing the value of this contribution can become Victoria Reyes-Garcı́a (&) counterproductive both in promoting dialogue and in Address: Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain. finding new ways to address global challenges. More sol- Address: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat idarity is required for transformative change to occur. Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 08193 – Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. e-mail: victoria.reyes@uab.cat Funding Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares Address: Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Helsinki Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki, Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adap- Helsinki, Finland. tation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, Yildiz Aumeeruddy-Thomas provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes Address: Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University Montpel- were made. The images or other third party material in this article are lier, CNRS, Montpellier, France. included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the Petra Benyei article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not per- Address: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat mitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 08193 – to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Rainer W. Bussmann Address: Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany and REFERENCES Bakuriani Alpine Botanical Garden, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. Dı́az, S., S. Demissew, J. Carabias, C. Joly, M. Lonsdale, N. Ash, A. David Garcı́a-del-Amo Larigauderie, J.R. Adhikari, et al. 2015. The IPBES conceptual Address: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat framework—connecting nature and people. 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Brondizio jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Address: Department of Anthropology, Indiana University Bloom- ington, Bloomington, USA. Ó The Author(s) 2021 123 www.kva.se/en