A Growing Tree metaphor: identifying and reflecting on 26 Action Items for ethical bridging of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems in biodiversity research and monitoring

Maintaining the integrity of Indigenous ways of knowing in research is impossible without transforming research governance and practice, which is most often controlled and bound by Western scientific modes of inquiry. Scientists and practitioners are seeking practical advice on how they can be a part of this transformation. To help serve this need, we identified 26 Action Items for bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge systems and put them together into a conceptually cohesive framework. Our meta-synthesis examines research practices pertaining to nine exemplar case studies in relation to shared values of Indigenous research frameworks, and settings for bridging knowledge systems. We provide context-specific examples of how each Action Item is operationalized by the exemplar case studies. The 26 Action Items can be used to set accountability metrics and guide scholars and practitioners as they conceive, design, and implement biodiversity research and monitoring. We offer A Growing Tree metaphor, and graphic, to unite the 26 Action Items into a holistic narrative that can function as a guiding framework and aesthetic reflective tool. The framework and Action Items can help scholars and practitioners as they embark on bridging knowledge systems; yet, listening to the unique perspectives of Indigenous research partners in a specific research context is paramount to ethical bridging of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems.