Understanding collaborations and community partnerships in aquatic research: a review of literature from the Bow River Basin, 2014–2024

This systematic review examines peer-reviewed literature (2014–2024) on aquatic health research in Alberta’s Bow River Basin to assess the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and collaboration in Western scientific studies. Despite growing recognition of the value of Indigenous ways of knowing, such as holistic stewardship and place-based practices, our analysis of 69 regional publications reveals minimal meaningful co-creation with Indigenous communities. Most studies relied on disciplinarily siloed, quantitative endpoints (e.g., water quantity modelling), with only one study explicitly co-developing research methods and outcomes with Indigenous partners (Siksika Nation). A parallel review of National Sciences and Engineering and Research Council grants (2020–2024) showed relative increases in approvals for community-based research, yet corresponding peer-reviewed outputs remain scarce. This disparity highlights some potential systemic barriers to meaningful collaboration, such as rigid academic timelines and tokenistic “integration” of Indigenous Knowledge. Key recommendations include mandatory Indigenous data stewardship training, flexible funding structures to support relationship-building, and recognition of nontraditional research deliverables. The findings underscore the urgent need for equitable partnerships that center Indigenous voices from project inception to dissemination, ensuring culturally relevant and sustainable water management in the Bow River Basin and more broadly.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Facets

• Publication date

  2025-01-01

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1139/facets-2025-0149
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

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• No concepts are published for this paper.

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