Khalid Lemzouji
Indigenous communities increasingly face challenges in ensuring environmental data is trustworthy, culturally meaningful, and under community control. This presentation introduces an Indigenous-led, open-source platform co-designed and governed by the Fort McKay Métis Nation for their community-based environmental monitoring. By integrating Western scientific monitoring (air, water, wildlife) with Indigenous knowledge — including land-based observations, storytelling, and Elder guidance — the platform exemplifies the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance: Collective Benefit: Data directly informs community decision-making, supports youth education, and enhances environmental awareness. Authority to Control: FMMN maintains full governance over platform access, use, and interpretation of all collected data. Responsibility: Automated workflows and statistical analyses ensure traceable, verifiable, and transparent insights. Ethics: Integration of Indigenous knowledge ensures monitoring is culturally grounded and respects community values. Interactive visualizations and an AI chatbot allow community members to explore, query, and validate findings, transforming complex data into accessible, actionable information. The platform demonstrates a practical model for community-controlled environmental monitoring, bridging Indigenous knowledge and Western science to enhance self-determination, environmental accountability, and trust. By centering Indigenous governance and data sovereignty, this approach advances Indigenous-led solutions for environmental stewardship and decision-making, providing a replicable model for other communities seeking to manage and govern their own data while combating misinformation and supporting cultural continuity.