Beyond participation: Indigenous researchers leading biodiversity monitoring and territorial governance in the Amazon

Leandro Juen, Luciano Fogaça de Assis Montag, Francieli Bomfim, André Nunes, Jady Santos, Joás Brito, Erival Prata, Antonio Augusto Jardim Jr , Jair Miranda-Filho, Yan Dantas, Alexandre Quinet, Ana Siqueira, Ana Mendes-Oliveira, André Falcão, Antonio Costa, Bruno Coutinho, Carlito Evangelista-Junior, Cassiana Montagner, Domingos Cardoso, Erikson Ferreira, Filipe França, Geovana Oliveira, Giulia Ottino, Gleomar Maschio, Isabella Evangelista, Karapow Parana, Kauê Moraes, Kiarasy Parana, Korakoko Parana, Kwakore Parana, Lais Sarlo, Lucas Oliveira, Luisa Ridolph, Marceli Lima, Marcos Lima, Marcos Santos, Maria Malcher, Nhasykiati Parana, Pâssua Parana, Paulo Junqueira, Pente Panara, Rafael Araújo, Rayssa Carmo, Renata Pinheiro, Sakre Panara, Sewa Panara, Sopoa Panara, Tepakriti Panara, Vivian Fraga, Viviane Fonseca-Kruel, Zaira Moutinho, Thaisa Michelan

Indigenous Territories harbor some of the world’s best-preserved ecosystems and are central to biodiversity conservation. Paradoxically, the knowledge of the people who have historically maintained these ecosystems remains underrepresented in conservation science. Here we present a collaborative program for monitoring biodiversity and water quality of the Nãnsêpôtiti (Iriri) River in the Panará Indigenous Territory of the Brazilian Amazon. Integrating diverse knowledge systems through co-production between Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, digital technologies, and scientific methods, the program engaged Indigenous people throughout the research process and compiled a comprehensive database of aquatic and terrestrial organisms, including fish, aquatic insects, aquatic macrophytes, terrestrial plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Grounded in co-production and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge, this initiative shows how equitable intercultural approaches can simultaneously strengthen conservation science, sociobiodiversity, and Indigenous territorial governance, while offering a potentially replicable model for addressing the challenges of biodiversity monitoring in other tropical regions.