Open research questions in Indigenous Studies and Ecology
110 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,570 Indigenous Studies and Ecology papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
preservation biases obscure the full complexity of Early Paleo-Inuit lifeways, - organic materials are largely under-represented in the record of this period, - prior archaeological investigation of Kitsissut has been limited
Voyage to Kitsissut: a new perspective on Early Paleo-Inuit watercraft and maritime lifeways at a High Arctic polynya · 2026 · DOIexploring the implications of this evidence for realigning the human and environmental histories of the polynya, - reconsidering the assumptions about the vulnerability of Pikialasorsuaq, - investigating the codevelopment of cultural and ecological processes over millennia
Voyage to Kitsissut: a new perspective on Early Paleo-Inuit watercraft and maritime lifeways at a High Arctic polynya · 2026 · DOIAlthough extensive research has documented potential competition between sympatric wild and domestic ungulates, a comprehensive quantitative synthesis of the magnitude and drivers of these interactions remains lacking.
Climate and human impacts on the dietary niche overlap of sympatric livestock and wild ungulates · 2026 · DOIThe gaps in the literature and the nonexistence of restrictions from present-day legislation are the bane of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in hunting cultural practice.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Indigenous Hunting Body Cultural Research as an Emerging Collaborative Self-Governing Approach for Green Ethical Cultural Advocacy as “Protected Belief Status” · 2025 · DOIThe contrast between consistent detection of PCP chemicals in high Arctic snow and relatively low estimated LRET potential emphasizes the need for further research on their real-world atmospheric behavior under cold conditions.
Are ingredients of personal care products likely to undergo long-range transport to remote regions? · 2025 · DOIHowever, how gut microbiota and diet jointly influence ecological niche differentiation in sympatric species remains unclear.
Gut microbiome and diet contribute to ecological niche differentiation between argali (Ovis ammon hodgsoni) and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau · 2025 · DOIYet, the ecological impacts remain understudied, with limited systematic land-use data.
First Nations reserve expansion and land cover dynamics since Treaty Land Entitlement in the Prairie region of Saskatchewan, Canada · 2025 · DOIAlthough not all included studies examined every SDoH domain in our review, future research should consider all domains to gain a comprehensive understanding of how they impact nutritional behavior.
Social Determinants Influencing Nutrition Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Health in Indigenous Populations: A Scoping Review of the Literature · 2024 · DOIRisks to the system are difficult to estimate, as adaptive capacities of species are poorly understood.
Food insecurity and limited access to healthcare are significant challenges faced by farmworker communities. Language and cultural barriers can limit access to nutrition education and resources. The study's sample size and population may not be representative of all farmworker communities.
Foraging, perennial vegetables, and nutritional resilience in a farmworker community: a mixed-methods analysis comparing nutrition functional diversity and the healthy eating index · 2026 · DOIData gaps are evident in the evaluation of participant-shared foraged plants during interviews. Composition data for several plants were unavailable, and substitutions were necessary. The study's sample size and population may not be representative of all farmworker communities.
Foraging, perennial vegetables, and nutritional resilience in a farmworker community: a mixed-methods analysis comparing nutrition functional diversity and the healthy eating index · 2026 · DOIThe AIS data has limitations, such as signal manipulation and detection gaps. The study only considers ship tracklines within 20 km of communities.
Future research should continue to monitor and analyze ship voyages close to Inuit communities. Future research should explore the impacts of shipping on ecosystems and wildlife which Inuit rely on for health, food security and cultural sustainability.
There is a gap in understanding how local knowledge and experiences can be integrated into climate change adaptation planning. Prior studies have not adequately considered the perspectives of Indigenous communities.
Translating community perceptions and concerns into planning: climate change adaptation in Hooper Bay, Alaska · 2026 · DOIWhile ordinal surveys are susceptible to response biases, including central tendency, social desirability, and Table 2 Generational climate change impact table for Hooper Bay and Paimiut (adapted from Molina et al. 2025). Anticipated environ- mental and subsistence changes are organized across three genera- tional timeframes: the historical/current generation (2000–2035), the next generation (mid-century), and the third generation (end-of-cen- tury). Projected shifts in climate stressors and their likely effects on wildlife, fish, and plant species are summarized for each period. Sym- bols in the lower section (e.g., ±) indicate the relative direction and magnitude of change, derived from qualitative synthesis of scientific projections and local observations 118 Page 12 of 15 Regional Environmental Change (2026) 26:118 acquiescence effects (Paulhus 1991), the distributions observed suggest such effects were minimal. Ratings were sharply concentrated on forecasts that are locally visible, con- sistent with research showing that perceptible environmental changes increase cognitive salience and risk perception (Reser & Swim 2011; Weber 2016). Regular visibility of erosion, permafrost degradation, increased storm frequency and inten- sity, and shifting wildlife patterns in Hooper Bay indicates that responses reflect substantive judgments grounded in lived experience, as observed in other Indigenous and rural commu- nities facing rapid environmental change (Cruikshank 2001; Pearce et al. 2015). Respondent characteristics such as age, gender, or household role were not collected, consistent with the focus on community-wide perceptions. While this limits demographic analysis, the distributions still highlight which climate change impacts are most observable and concerning. Using ordinal responses rather than elicited probabili- ties means that the analysis reflects relative rankings of perceived likelihoods and concerns rather than precise esti- mates of likelihood. Ordinal categories do not assume equal spacing between response options or consistent interpreta- tion of anchors, which limits the ability to quantify underly- ing uncertainty. Alternative approaches, such as structured expert judgment protocols, could provide complementary insights if formal probabilistic estimates of risk were needed for planning purposes (O’Hagan et al. 2006; Speirs-Bridge et al. 2010; Tversky & Kahneman 1974). Finally, the survey provides a snapshot of community per- ceptions at a single point in time. Salience may fluctuate, par- ticularly following extreme or memorable events (Weber 2016), such as the 2022 Typhoon Merbok, which likely heightened attention to storm frequency and intensity, coastal flooding, and sea level rise. Longitudinal data collection would allow researchers to track evolving perceptions, distinguishing endur- ing priorities from those shaped by recent events and revealing whether less immediately observable impacts, such as ocean acidification or marine heatwave effects, change in relative importance as their consequences become more tangible.
Translating community perceptions and concerns into planning: climate change adaptation in Hooper Bay, Alaska · 2026 · DOIThe study identifies the challenges of conducting research in Indigenous contexts, including the need for linguistic diversity and cultural sensitivity. The research highlights the challenges of balancing the cultural significance of qimmit with the need for conservation and management of sled-dog populations.
Future research should continue to explore the cultural significance of qimmit in Inuit and Kalaallit communities, examining the impact of environmental and social change on these relationships. The study's findings suggest the need for further research on the conservation and management of sled-dog populations in Greenland.
There is a need to understand the cultural conceptions and meanings of human-reindeer relationships. The research aims to fill this gap by examining the stories told by reindeer herders.
The traditional approach to archaeological research in the Eastern Arctic has prioritized environmental adaptation and technological development, overlooking the symbolic and ritual dimensions embedded within Inuit architecture and spatial organization.
The need to study how aging members of coastal communities navigate transformations in the ecological landscape. The need to employ phenomenological and multisensory ethnographic methods to understand the community's experiences.
Further studies on the impacts of tourism on the local community in Spitsbergen. Investigations into the effects of climate change on tourism development in the Arctic.
The need for a balance between tourism, research, and education to benefit both the environment and the local community. The lack of adaptation of tourism development to climate change.
The lack of differentiation for certain services in the CICES framework. The limitations of the NCP concept in assessing multifaceted impacts.
How dis-services illuminate divergence between “nature’s contribution to people” and “ecosystem services” – an assessment of Empetrum nigrum · 2026 · DOIA notable limitation of CICES is its ignorance of ecosystem disservices, which are crucial for a holistic assessment of crowberry's impacts.
How dis-services illuminate divergence between “nature’s contribution to people” and “ecosystem services” – an assessment of Empetrum nigrum · 2026 · DOIFuture research should explore the GG’s long-term impact on workforce sustainability and expand its application to other sectors, including wastewater services and customer education.
Most-cited papers in Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- “From this place and of this place:” Climate change, sense of place, and health in Nunatsiavut, Canada · Social Science & Medicine · 2012 · 337 citations
- Conceptualizing Food Security for Aboriginal People in Canada · Canadian Journal of Public Health · 2008 · 233 citations
- Climate Change, Health, and Vulnerability in Canadian Northern Aboriginal Communities · Environmental Health Perspectives · 2006 · 233 citations
- Herding Memories of Humans and Animals · Environment and Planning D Society and Space · 2006 · 186 citations
- Review Article: Indigenous health in the Arctic: an overview of the circumpolar Inuit population · Scandinavian Journal of Public Health · 2004 · 175 citations
- BEAR CEREMONIALISM IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE* · American Anthropologist · 1926 · 168 citations
- Indigenous Systems of Management for Culturally and Ecologically Resilient Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchusspp.) Fisheries · BioScience · 2020 · 166 citations
- Satellite Culture · Current Anthropology · 2005 · 156 citations
- ‘Emergent Aliens’: On Salmon, Nature, and Their Enactment · Ethnos · 2011 · 152 citations
- Climate change in the Arctic: current and future vulnerability in two Inuit communities in Canada · Geographical Journal · 2007 · 144 citations
Most recent work
- Traditional socio-cultural practices in Himalayan food systems for climate adaptation · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · 2026
- The bilberry experiment for Arctic STEAM education · Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research · 2026
- Dilemmas of the local community towards tourism in Spitsbergen · Miscellanea Geographica · 2026
- Samenes sørlige utbredelse i sagaene · Historisk tidsskrift · 2026
- Foraging, perennial vegetables, and nutritional resilience in a farmworker community: a mixed-methods analysis comparing nutrition functional diversity and the healthy eating index · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2026
- “We'll never go”: Inuit youth refusals as climate politics · Political Geography · 2026
- Implications of changing shipping patterns near communities across Arctic Canada · Regional Environmental Change · 2026
- Translating community perceptions and concerns into planning: climate change adaptation in Hooper Bay, Alaska · Regional Environmental Change · 2026
- Perishable food supply chain management and food access in remote Indigenous communities of high-income countries: a systematic scoping review protocol · Systematic Reviews · 2026
- From oral tradition to direct environmental prescription: taking Kluskap literally and seriously in Unama’ki/Cape Breton · Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability · 2026
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