Speaker series - Indigenous models of sustainability

In this session, you will hear from Michael Dockry, Assistant Professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Forest Resources. Mike will share what he has learned in working with tribes. He'll talk about partnership research, culture, and what sustainability looks like from an indigenous perspective. 

Abstract: Indigenous knowledge is important for addressing natural resource management challenges like climate change and invasive species. It also directly supports tribal communities, tribal natural resource management and tribal sovereignty. This talk will explore an Indigenous model of sustainability developed at the College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute that integrates Indigenous knowledge and western science. The model incorporates Indigenous knowledge into the process of reconciling tensions among six dimensions of sustainability: land and sovereignty; natural environment (including human beings); institutions; technology; economy; and human perception, activity, and behavior. A central concept of the model is based on the experience of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and their cultural values and relationship to place. The model challenges people to explore their own values related to sustainable natural resource management and to help them integrate multiple perspectives into their understanding of natural resource management.

Mike is a registered member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and an Assistant Professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Forest Resources. He is also an associate faculty member of the American Indian Studies Department and an Institute on the Environment Fellow. He supports tribal sovereignty and works to foster collaborative and respectful research relationships.

Mike's research supports interdisciplinary sustainable natural resource management research with a focus on: 1.) Tribal and Indigenous natural resource management and the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge 2.) Strategic foresight and land management planning, and 3.) Institutional diversity and inclusion. The goal of his work is to support natural resource management to meet community goals.