We bring together the projects of more than eighty academic co-investigators and collaborators, representing great depth and experience in partnered research with Indigenous partners globally. Particular regional comparative emphasis is placed on the Americas, the Circumpolar Region, Africa, and Oceania.

Through CICADA, several research projects and independent programs across 4 main regions (the Americas, the Circumpolar Region, Africa, and Oceania) now join forces to generate and share perspectives on conservation and development in Indigenous contexts globally. 

CICADA researchers work with Indigenous communities for the defense and resurgence of their ‘territories of life,’ areas cherished and self-governed in ways that are integral to land-based lifeways. Community ‘life projects’ for their territories are the starting point for our research-to-action engagement. These projects are rooted in relational ontologies or theories of being and interacting with whole communities of life. They require, on the other hand, attention to three interdependent axes of strategic action for territorial defence and resurgence vis-à-vis the state and mainstream economy: 1) Grassroots conservation governance; 2) Resilient livelihoods in the face of resource extractive pressures; and 3) Indigenous law and interlegalities.

Our crosscutting methods involve knowledge co-production: research planning sessions with Indigenous and academic partners; workshops and community assemblies; and regional/international meetings. We advance powerful tools and local capacities for mobilizing knowledge, including visual methodologies and community mapping.