Date of Award
2025
Advisor(s)
Chris Brooks, J.D.
Simon Jorgenson, J.D.
Breck Bowden, PhD.
Jim Shallow
Document Type
Project
Abstract
Conservation work performed within western systems does not always adequately engage indigenous peoples and values. Yet, if western actors are to meet conservation goals around the world they need to engage indigenous peoples. This paper explores ways in which western actors can equitably involve indigenous peoples in western conservation efforts. Certain frameworks and methods hold space for both indigenous and western actors, and can help to bridge western and indigenous values in conservation efforts. The Kotahitanga mō te Taiao (KMTT) Alliance of New Zealand’s South Island provides a case study that braids both western and indigenous values in a single conservation effort, and a model for how Vermont’s conservation community could engage the area’s indigenous peoples. To help provide context, the paper discusses relevant history in both Vermont and New Zealand. The analysis of the KMTT Alliance finds and discusses specific values the Alliance provides, its keys to success, challenges it faced, and its outlook moving forward. The paper provides recommendations to both the KMTT Alliance and the Vermont conservation community as they advance conservation work in these two unique corners of the earth.
Recommended Citation
Osborn, Gannon, "Master's Project: Empowering Indigenous Leadership in Western Conservation Efforts: An Analysis of Aotearoa New Zealand's Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance and Vermont's Conservation Moment" (2025). Rubenstein School Masters Project Publications. 32.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/rsmpp/32