Indigenous participation in water governance remains limited, Imperial study finds

A new study led by researchers at Imperial College London reveals that Indigenous Peoples remain marginal in dominant water governance systems worldwide, despite growing global commitments to more “inclusive” decision-making. Indigenous Peoples hold vital knowledge and inherent rights to water, yet few studies have assessed the extent or nature of their participation in these systems.

Published in Nature Water, the research analyses 226 peer-reviewed articles and 183 case studies across 15 countries. It explores how Indigenous Peoples participate in dominant water governance frameworks, focusing on their engagement with external actors including states, industries and dominant institutions within colonial systems of water governance.

The study was led by Laila Kasuri and Dr Alexandra Collins, with contributions from Sam Watkins, all of whom are affiliated with the Centre for Environmental Policy.

The findings show a sharp rise in academic attention to Indigenous participation in water governance, with 80% of the literature published in just the last decade (2013 - 2023). However, while this growing body of research highlights important trends, it also reveals major gaps in how Indigenous participation is documented, evaluated and understood.

Diverse patterns of participation across regions

One of the study’s most significant insights is that Indigenous engagement in water governance varies widely across contexts, shaped by distinct colonial histories, political systems and environmental conditions.

Clear regional trends emerge:

• United States: The literature generally finds that participation is centred on litigation and water rights claims. The earliest study in the review (1980) reflects longstanding legal struggles for recognition within colonial legal systems.
• Canada: The case studies frequently focuses on safe drinking water provision and source water protection, particularly in the context of long-standing water advisories affecting many Indigenous communities.
• Australia: Case studies largely addresses water allocation and general governance in a water-scarce context, with comparatively stronger documentation of partnerships, especially in environmental watering initiatives.
• New Zealand: Case studies often centre on rivers or specific waterbodies, shaped by the legal and political legacy of the Treaty of Waitangi and recognition of Māori roles as kaitiaki (guardians).
• South America: Case studies find that participation is frequently expressed through resistance and political mobilisation, including high-profile cases such as the Cochabamba Water War in Bolivia and opposition to Chile’s 1981 Water Code.

A major gap at the global level

While Indigenous participation in water governance is documented at local, regional and national levels, the study finds that engagement at the international scale remains strikingly underexplored.

Only 4% of case studies examined Indigenous participation at the global level, in spaces where international water policy and norms are shaped.

Where examples do exist, they reveal both opportunity and exclusion. Indigenous Peoples have contributed to global platforms such as World Water Forums, helping shape declarations including the Kyoto Water Declaration and the Tlatokan Atlahuak Declaration. In countries such as Peru, Guatemala and Colombia, communities have also turned to international human rights mechanisms when domestic processes fail.

However, these examples remain poorly documented, with limited detail on how Indigenous voices influence global decision-making. As a result, the study concludes that we still know very little about whether participation at this level is meaningful or impactful.

Ongoing research by Laila Kasuri and Dr Alexandra Collins is beginning to address this gap, investigating how Indigenous knowledge and values shape global water governance and developing recommendations for a more inclusive water sector.

Limited evaluation of participation

The study also highlights a lack of evaluation in existing research.

Only 55% of case studies provided detailed descriptions of how Indigenous Peoples participated, and just 15% assessed whether that participation was meaningful or effective. Without such evaluation, it becomes difficult to determine whether participation genuinely respects Indigenous sovereignty or leads to outcomes that communities themselves consider just.

Indigenous knowledge often overlooked

Just 19% of studies considered Indigenous knowledge and values. Even where they were included, it is often unclear whether this was done in a non-extractive way or with full consent.

This suggests that many dominant governance systems continue to frame water primarily as a resource to be managed, rather than recognising the broader cultural, spiritual and relational values that many Indigenous communities attach to water.

When formal systems fail, communities create their own

The research shows that when formal participatory mechanisms fall short, Indigenous communities frequently create their own spaces for engagement.

These include political mobilisation, resistance movements and transnational advocacy, such as opposition to privatised water systems in Chile or the use of international litigation in Guatemala and Colombia. These actions demonstrate that participation extends beyond state-led processes.

Moving beyond participation

Overall, the study shows that Indigenous Peoples are influencing and reshaping water governance at multiple levels. However, significant gaps remain, particularly in understanding participation at the global scale and whether current approaches are genuinely inclusive.

As institutions increasingly commit to participatory governance, the authors emphasise the need to recognise a fundamental distinction: Indigenous Peoples are not simply stakeholders, but rights-holders, stewards and decision-makers. Participatory processes that fail to reflect this risk reinforcing, rather than dismantling, existing power structures. Meaningful participatory processes should be co-developed and evaluated by Indigenous Peoples themselves.

The full study, “A systematic review of Indigenous Peoples' participation in dominant systems of water governance,” is available in Nature Water.