Co-producing Knowledge through Collective Engagement: Exploring the compatibility of carbon programs with the values of Tribal communities in the U.S.

Abstract

To increase the pace of carbon removal, carbon programs have been enacted to encourage carbon sequestration and storage on forestlands. To date most work related to participation in carbon programs has focused on private forestlands, with little attention given to forests owned by Tribes and tribal members. As such, there is limited understanding of the needs and barriers for Tribal communities to participate in carbon programs, in addition to access and equity considerations associated with program participation. The goals of this study therefore are: (1) to identify opportunities and barriers for Tribes to participate in carbon programs by analyzing linkages among related decisions, and (2) to examine the compatibility of existing carbon programs with the values and needs of Tribal communities. To address these objectives, we adopt participatory and institutional approaches, which have increasingly been used to address socio-ecological problems. Specifically, the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach provides a framework for participants and investigators to co-produce knowledge through collective engagement (via interviews and discussion-based focus groups) and helps facilitate the integration of traditional ecological knowledge. The Networks of Action Situations (NAS) approach enables multi-level institutional analyses to uncover interactions within and between related decisions for carbon program participation.