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降落伞科学-问题和解法 (Parachute Science-Problem and Solutions)

17 min read

中文

最近在学习很多数据自主权和原住民数据的例子和信息，所以想要系统性地整理这些信息分享出来。

数据自主权与原住民环境管理

传统生态知识(TEK)代表了原住民通过世代生活在特定环境中所建立的知识体系。这种知识在环境保护和生物多样性保护的背景下越来越受到重视。在COP15和COP16会议上，第8(j)条款的通过标志着对原住民和本地社区(包括非洲裔社区)作为关键环境管理者的认可取得了重大胜利。

数据自主权和管理涉及社区对其数据和知识保持真正控制权的方法。这一概念在与原住民社区合作时尤为重要，因为它解决了研究实践中的历史不平等问题。正如”TEK、数据科学与人工智能以及COP16上的原住民数据主权”报告中所指出的，人们越来越强调确保”测量来自社区本身，而不是自上而下定义”。这是一个值得关注的问题，因为有时对群体的数据表示不符合该群体或特定地点的需求和现有知识。这一挑战在生物多样性通过类似碳信用的机制被测量和货币化的背景下尤为相关(这创造了使全球执行更容易的市场激励机制，但仍在不断改进以更好地与该地区的实际可持续成果保持一致)。

基于地点的方法将研究中心放在当地环境和社区需求上，认识到环境管理本质上与特定地点和生态关系相连。这些方法与传统的自上而下的研究方法形成对比。支持COP16活动的伯克利大学埃里克和温迪·施密特数据科学与环境中心(DSE)强调：“因为环境管理发生的背景本质上是基于地点的，所以DSE继续深化我们与部落的实地合作很重要。”

一个重要挑战涉及传统生态知识与政府、企业和公共系统之间的转化。原住民通常知道需要保护什么以及如何解决环境问题，但需要工具以决策者能够理解的方式传达这些知识。正如COP16报告中所述：“数据和技术作为说服政府和非原住民实体了解环境管理问题和解决方案的手段(例如，计划性燃烧)。“

了解”降落伞科学”

“降落伞科学”指的是一种有问题的研究实践，即高收入国家的科学家在低收入国家进行研究，而不为当地科学家或社区提供益处。芝加哥大学历史与背景研讨会系列的”殖民主义和降落伞科学”工作组将降落伞科学描述为：“降落伞科学历史上指的是在其他国家进行的科学。科学家会去另一个国家，比如在喜马拉雅山雇佣一名夏尔巴向导。他们会收集植物样本，然后返回自己的国家发表文章并成名，但夏尔巴人的生活并没有真正从这种科学中受益。”

全球微生物组保护联盟明确指出：“如果当地科学家被排除在外，不作为共同调查者或合作者参与项目，那么穿越一个国家收集和移除样本同样是不道德的。“他们注意到许多国家有法律防止这种行为，但这些法律”经常被无视”。

反降落伞科学运动已在多个学科中兴起。从我目前仍在进行的阅读中，这包括来自Science Friday(“‘降落伞科学’的问题”)、Scientific American(“殖民科学的问题”)和麻省理工学院全球微生物组保护联盟的文章。

个人而言，我对什么时候需要研究人员参与当地工作，什么时候不需要仍有一些困惑。例如，墨西哥当地人是否需要珊瑚礁研究来解决他们那里遇到的珊瑚礁问题？有当地的墨西哥研究人员是否有助于实现社区目标？

原住民环境管理

原住民社区越来越被认可为关键的环境管理者。COP报告引用了Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim，她是原住民对气候变化适应和减缓的专家，也是乍得原住民妇女和人民协会主席，她主持了关于”TEK技术：利用人工智能、传统生态知识和原住民数据主权实施生物多样性保护”的讨论。

人们越来越多地转变对环境工作的框定，不再将其称为”保护”。笔记指出：“原住民领袖强调将’保护’重新定义为共同生活，共同热爱。保护叙事强化了有问题的’保护者’与’被保护者’的动态关系。相反，自然应被视为伙伴。我们与自然相互连接，而非支配者。”

由原住民社区带头的自然权利运动代表了人类与自然世界关系的这种哲学转变。我还没有深入研究这个概念。一个链接是garn.org/rights-of-nature。我在Maunakea kiai 营地听见过相似的论点。夏威夷文化视mauna kea火山为神灵和圣地。神灵的主权与“土地资产”不同，所以当地保护者对政府、军队、天文台的土地使用有冲突。

道德研究方法

随着围绕科学活动提取外部性的问题陈述仍在发展，也出现了新兴的解决方案。全球微生物组保护联盟强调，“建立跨越整个研究管道的有效合作，从样本收集、数据生成和分析，到在国际科学期刊上的作者身份，是至关重要的。”

通过对话，我接触到了已经与当地社区合作的领域的方法。比如，人类学的采访和田野调查中发展了道德框架，包括”受试者的知情同意、隐私、数据自主权、匿名性、有益性(对当地最大化利益，最小化伤害)、参与性：让社区参与研究设计和实施。”

在科学领域，我也看到了社区参与的现有协议示例。集体动物行为研究员Albert Kao表示，当他们在阿拉斯加保留地上进行阿拉斯加鲑鱼筑巢野外工作时，他们必须提交一份关于如何与当地社区互动或使其受益的提案。因此，政府中已经存在协议。同样，我记得野生动物保护生态学家朋友一晴的保护生态学研究，涉及研究或了解当地人如何与动物互动，包括当前状态和目标状态干预。

另一种解决方案途径是开发易获取的研究工具。节俭科学小组致力于开发经济上更易获取的数据收集和分析工具，应用于保护和教育。

总结和下一步

我对合成一个将原住民数据主权原则与实用研究方法连接起来的框架的可能性感兴趣，并探索基于社区的研究的现有模型。我个人有兴趣建立或加入应用这些原则的实际项目，如开发环境监测的易获取工具、创建协作数据可视化方法、促进原住民社区与学术机构之间的知识交流。

阅读链接

English

  • Data Autonomy and Indigenous Environmental Stewardship (Vocabulary)

    • Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) represents indigenous knowledge systems built through generations of living in specific environments. This knowledge is increasingly recognized as valuable, particularly in the context of environmental conservation and biodiversity protection. At COP15 and COP16, Article 8(j) was adopted, marking a significant win in recognizing Indigenous peoples and local communities, including Afrodescendent communities, as key environmental stewards.
    • Data autonomy and stewardship involve approaches where communities maintain genuine control over their data and knowledge. This concept is particularly important when working with indigenous communities, as it addresses historical inequities in research practices. As noted in the dispatch from “TEK, data science and AI, and Indigenous data sovereignty at COP16”, there’s a growing emphasis on ensuring that “measurements are coming from the communities themselves rather than being defined top-down.” This is a concern because sometimes data representation of groups does not align with the group or the specific site’s needs and existing knowledge. This challenge is relevant in the context where biodiversity is measured and monetized through mechanisms similar to carbon credits (which creates market incentives that makes global enforcement easier, but is still being iterated on for better alignment with the actual sustainable outcome of that place).
    • Place-based approaches center research around local context and community needs, recognizing that environmental stewardship is inherently connected to specific locations and ecological relationships. These approaches contrast with traditional top-down research methodologies. The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science & Environment (DSE) at Berkeley which supported the COP16 event emphasize this by stating “because the context in which environmental stewardship occurs is inherently place-based, it’s important that DSE continues to deepen our on-the-ground collaborations with Tribes.”
    • One significant challenge involves translation between traditional ecological knowledge and government, corporate, and public systems. Indigenous peoples often know what needs to be protected and how to solve environmental problems, but need tools to communicate this knowledge in ways that will be heard by decision-makers. As stated in the COP16 dispatch: “Data and technology serve as means to convince governments and non-Indigenous entities of the problems and solutions for environmental stewardship (for example, prescribed burns).”

  • Understanding Parachute Science

    • Parachute science refers to a problematic research practice where scientists from high-income countries conduct research in low-income countries without providing benefits to local scientists or communities. The working group on “Colonialism and Parachute Science” as part of the UChciago history and context workshop series describes parachute science as: “Parachute science historically refers to science conducted in other countries. Scientists would go to another country, such as hiring a Sherpa guide in the Himalayas. They would collect plant samples, then return to their own country to publish and become famous, but the Sherpa’s life didn’t truly benefit from the science.” - The Global Microbiome Conservancy explicitly states: “It is equally unethical to travel through a country to collect and remove samples if local scientists are left out of the picture and not involved in the project as co-investigators or collaborators.” They note that many nations have laws to prevent this, but these are “often flouted.”
    • Anti-parachute science movements have emerged across multiple disciplines. From my current reading which is still ongoing, it includes articles from Science Friday (“The Problem With ‘Parachute Science’”), Scientific American (“The Problem With Colonial Science”), and the MIT Global Microbiome Conservancy. - Personally, I still have some confusion about when the researchers are needed in the local efforts, and when not. For example, do the mexico locals need reef research at all for whatever they have a problem of with the reef there? Does having local Mexican researchers would help achieve community goals?

  • Indigenous Environmental Stewardship

    • Indigenous communities are increasingly recognized as key environmental stewards. The COP dispatch reference Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, an expert in adaptation and mitigation of indigenous peoples to climate change and President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad, who moderated a discussion on “Tech for TEK: Implementing Biodiversity Conservation with AI, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty.”
    • There is a growing shift away from framing environmental work as “conservation.” The notes state: “Indigenous leaders emphasized a reframing of ‘conservation’ as co-living, co-loving. The conservation narrative enforces a problematic ‘protector’ vs ‘protected’ dynamic. Nature, rather, should be seen as fellow. We are interconnected with nature, not dominators.”
    • The rights of nature movement, spearheaded by indigenous communities, represents this philosophical shift in how humans relate to the natural world. I haven’t read into the concept yet. One link is garn.org/rights-of-nature.
    • I connect this cause for local led protection of one’s land with witnessing the Maunakea kiai (protectors of Mauna Kea against land use that do not align with the Hawaiian culture’s sacred view of the mountain and its ecosystem).

  • Ethical Research Approaches

    • As the problem statement is still developing around the extraction externalities of science activities, there are also emerging solutions. The Global Microbiome Conservancy emphasizes that “building effective collaborations that span the whole research pipeline from sample collection, data generation and analysis, to authorship in international scientific journals, is essential.”
    • I have through conversations, come across methods from fields already working with local communities, particularly anthropology, which has developed ethical frameworks including “informed consent of the subject, privacy, data autonomy, anonymity, beneficience (max benefit, min harm to local), participatory: involving communities in research design and implementation.”
    • In scientific fields I also do see examples of existing protocols for community engagement. The collective animal behavior researcher Albert Kao said they had to do a proposal on how to engage or benefit the local community when they did the alaska salmon nesting field work in Alaska on reservation land. So there is already protocols in government. Similarly, I recall wildlife conservation ecologist friend Yiqing Wang’s research in conservation ecology, which involves studying or understanding how the local people interact with the animals, both as current state and as goal state intervention.
    • Another avenue of solutions is developing accessible research tools. The frugal science groups work on economically more accessible tools for data collection and analysis, in conservation and education application.

  • Summary and Next steps

    • I have interest the possibility of synthesizing a framework that connects indigenous data sovereignty principles with practical research methodologies and exploring existing models of community-based research.
    • I have personal interest in building or joining practical projects that apply these principles, such as developing accessible tools for environmental monitoring, creating collaborative data visualization approaches, facilitating knowledge exchange between indigenous communities and academic institutions.

  • Reading list

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