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decolonization

The History of Natural History and Race: Decolonizing Human Dimensions of Ecology

This article looks at how natural history—the close observation of organisms in their natural habitats—has long been central to ecology but also carries a deep history of racism. It explores how early European scientists linked human differences to the environment in ways that placed Europeans at the top of a racial hierarchy. This thinking fueled colonialism, justified slavery, and dismissed the ecological knowledge of non-Europeans. The authors highlight examples of Black ecological knowledge that developed under and in resistance to slavery, and they argue that recognizing and including their knowledge can make modern ecology more inclusive and effective. To learn more, click here.

Rethinking Species Language — Just Language in Ecology Education

The Just Language in Ecology Education “Resources” page is a compilation of articles, media, essays, and books that challenge traditional “native” versus “invasive” species frameworks. Its contents highlight Indigenous perspectives, critiques of xenophobic language in ecology, and proposals for alternative criteria. The collection blends scholarly research, podcasts, videos, and creative writing to encourage reflection on the cultural and political implications of ecological terminology. To learn more, click here.

Unfencing the Future: Voices On How Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People and Organizations Can Work Together Toward Environmental and Conservation Goals

This report aims to inform and support non-Indigenous conservation groups and environmental funders in working with Indigenous communities. The guide emphasizes collaborative relationship built on time, listening, understanding, and a willingness to let go of power and control, moving beyond typical transactional “grants”. It delves into the history of colonization, land theft, and the exclusion of Indigenous peoples from conservation efforts, which created a significant disconnect. To foster successful partnerships, the guide highlights key themes for non-Indigenous organizations: prioritizing genuine relationships, ensuring inclusivity from the design stage, supporting Indigenous leadership in decision-making, and providing flexible, long-term funding. It strives toward “gadugi” (helping each other) and shared environmental and conservation goals, recognizing that Indigenous communities can drive meaningful and collaborative change. To learn more, click the button below.

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Indian Country 101: Crash Course in Native History in the U.S.

This humorous and comprehensive crash course in Native history covers the eras from Native independence, colonization, removal, and everything in between. It moves chronologically through U.S. policy eras to show how Native communities have endured, resisted, and adapted. The course unpacks foundational concepts—like sovereignty, land dispossession, and federal policy shifts—not as isolated events, but as part of a larger, ongoing story of Native resistance, adaptation, and cultural survival. While rooted in serious historical injustices, the course uses an engaging tone and interactive media to make these topics more accessible. To learn more, click here.

Decolonizing Conservation with Prakash Kashwan

This podcast episode challenges the widely accepted perception of environmental conservation as a purely ethical and regenerative movement. Instead, it exposes how the field’s foundational philosophies—shaped by figures like Teddy Roosevelt, Henry David Thoreau, and John Muir—are deeply rooted in colonialism, imperialism, and racialized capitalism. These legacies, the episode argues, continue to shape mainstream conservation efforts today. The episode centers around the paper “From Racialized Neocolonial Global Conservation to an Inclusive and Regenerative Conservation,” co-authored by Prakash Kashwan, who is the featured guest. Kashwan explains that many conservation policies unfairly separate Indigenous people from the lands they’ve cared for, leading to harmful practices that promote resource extraction under the guise of wildlife preservation. To learn more, listen to the podcast here.

Can Native Americans Protect their Land if They’re not Recognized by the Federal Government

This article discusses the challenges that non-federally recognized Native American tribes face in trying to preserve their native lands using examples in California. The author explores the history of how the US government terminated their recognition of 109 recognized tribes in the 1950s and the effect of this policy on the present. They also provide examples of how tribes have negotiated land agreements with the California state government to create land trusts to preserve their land. For more read here.

What is Decolonization and Why Does it Matter?

This articles defines decolonization as a goal of moving towards a tangible unknown through everyday acts of decolonization. The author provides examples of decolonization efforts, such as Indigenous resistance of oil pipelines, and examples of colonialism, such as the appropriation of Indigeneity within North American activism. For more read here.

Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education and Society

This journal has a number of publications, creative writing pieces and articles on the many aspects of decolonization work. For more read here.

Beyond the Trend of Decolonizing Science

This webinar explores what it means to “decolonize science” in a discussion led by Indigenous and Black scholars. They use the Thirty Meter Telescope and the mountain of Mauna Kea as a case study of colonialism in science. For more watch here.

Abigail Echo-Hawk on the art and science of ‘decolonizing data’

In this interview, Abigail Echo-Hawk, who is the chief research officer at the Seattle Indian Health Board, discusses her efforts to decolonize data on Indigenous public health. She discusses how indigenous populations are often erased from public health data or lumped in with other ethnic/racial groups such as Pacific Islander and calls for a need for Indigenous-produced data. For more read here.

100 Ways to Support – Not Appropriate From – Native People

In this article, the author discusses how Native Americans have been erased from the “American conversation” and offers 100 ways in which people can be an ally to Native Americans. For more read here.

Maslow’s hierarchy connected to Blackfoot beliefs

This articles describes how the psychologist Abraham Maslow relied on Blackfoot beliefs about self-actualization to construct his well-known motivational theory on the “hierarchy of needs”. For more read here.