Indigenous Peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change for sustainability
Publication date
2026-01-27
Authors
Reyes-García, Victoria
Nelson, Valerie
Bonilla-Moheno, Martha
Hausner, Vera H.
Leventon, Julia
Wheeler, Helen C.
Aksoy, Zuhre
Bates, Peter
Carino, Joji
Dabezies, Juan Martin
Editors
Advisors
Supervisors
Document Type
Article
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
License
cc_by_nc_nd
Abstract
Achieving just, equitable, and effective sustainability transformations requires diverse social engagement. This paper identifies five key roles played by Indigenous Peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change: embodying sustainable lifeways, resisting harm and defending rights, extending their practices to influence broader systems, and offering foundational models for care-oriented economies and governance. Through illustrative examples, we show how Indigenous Peoples and local communities actively contribute to global transformation. We emphasize the importance of engaging with a wide range of actors in supporting, expanding, and deepening these contributions to realize meaningful, systemic change toward a sustainable and just future.
Keywords
General Environmental Science, General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Citation
Reyes-García, V, Nelson, V, Bonilla-Moheno, M, Hausner, V H, Leventon, J, Wheeler, H C, Aksoy, Z, Bates, P, Carino, J, Dabezies, J M, Frantzeskaki, N, Gordon, E, Gosnell, H, Guibal, C, Gurung, J, Heatta, M J, Hernandez, Y, Huambachano, M, Ifejika Speranza, C, A. Magris, R, Mannetti, L, Mansur, A V, Nishi, M, O’Brien, K, Pictou, S, Raab, K, Roskruge, N, Sulyandziga, R & Villasante, S 2026, 'Indigenous Peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change for sustainability', Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 7, no. 1, 102. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-03098-z