Linking well-being with cultural revitalization for greater cognitive justice in conservation: lessons from Venezuela in Canaima National Park

A shift toward intercultural fire management in Canaima National Park, Venezuela, has emerged from integrating Pemon indigenous knowledge with scientific research. This counter-narrative challenges conventional views that attribute landscape changes solely to local fire use. The study demonstrates how participatory processes—such as historical reconstructions, territorial self-demarcation, and community reflexivity—linked to the development of Pemon Life Plans, have revived suppressed environmental knowledge. By centering indigenous well-being agendas, conservation efforts have achieved cognitive justice, making hidden local knowledge visible and influencing policy-making toward more inclusive and effective fire management strategies.

Rodriguez, I. (2017). Linking well-being with cultural revitalization for greater cognitive justice in conservation: lessons from Venezuela in Canaima National Park. Ecology and Society, 22(4). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-09758-220424