A scoping review of Indigenous Cultural Mapping of coastal, island, and marine environments

Abstract

Indigenous Cultural Mapping (ICM) has the capacity to contribute to sustainably managing Sea Country. While there is a growing community of practice using ICM of marine, island, and coastal areas to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and cultural values into sustainability and conservation efforts, the literature is widely dispersed, and the method is not clearly defined or described. This scoping review evaluates the breadth and depth of practice undertaking ICM in island, coastal, and marine areas as captured within the English language scientific and grey literature. The objectives of this review were: 1) to determine the extent to which ICM is used a tool to manage Sea Country; 2) to evaluate the methods used throughout the process of ICM; and 3) to assess the studies against Arnstein’s (1969) ladder of participation. We used the Population Concept Context framework, searched Scopus, Web of Science, and Informit databases and Google Scholar, and identified studies that mapped Indigenous culture and/or cultural values in Sea Country. We included 54 studies that used ICM methods and were focused on Sea Country. These studies contribute to a growing body of work that demonstrates the value Indigenous knowledge adds to the sustainability of Sea Country now and into the future. High-level power-sharing and partnership throughout the research process is critically important. However, a lack of consistent standards of practice perpetuates research practices that exclude Indigenous communities from the research cycle. This limits the ability of ICM to improve sustainable practices that conserve and protect Sea Country.