Lake monitoring and research efforts in Alberta, Canada: an assessment of 15-years of published literature focusing on assessing research collaborations and partnerships

This literature review assesses 15 years of peer-reviewed research on lake monitoring in Alberta, Canada, focusing on collaborations and partnerships, particularly with Indigenous communities. 131 publications from Web of Science were analyzed, revealing a bias toward academic-led research, with 73% of primary authors affiliated with universities. Findings highlight a significant gap in Indigenous representation, with only 5 co-author affiliations and 9 collaborations identified. Driven by oil sands development, research efforts were predominantly focused on the Athabasca region with 92 studies, while chemical, physical, and biological water attributes were the most common types of endpoints reported. Despite the cultural and ecological importance of lakes, only 8% of studies acknowledged cultural significance, primarily in articles that included First Nations collaborators. Publicly available water quality databases were underutilized, with only 12 studies incorporating available public data. This review emphasizes the need for greater inclusion of Indigenous knowledges, improved data sovereignty practices, and enhanced collaboration between academia, government, and communities. Specific recommendations include standardized data repositories with comprehensive metadata and improved Indigenous representation on editorial boards and in community-based monitoring initiatives. This synthesis calls for transformative approaches to integrate diverse knowledge systems to bridge gaps in research equity and environmental stewardship and improve lake management.