Principles, barriers, and challenges of Indigenous water governance around the world

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Peer Reviewed

Globally, Indigenous Nations are disproportionately faced with water challenges. This is partly because current approaches to water governance continue to systematically exclude Indigenous peoples and their worldviews from contemporary water governance structures. Given the need to reform current water governance systems to redress injustices and secure water resources for Indigenous peoples, this paper presents the findings of a scoping review designed to identify the principles, values, challenges/problems, and existing models of Indigenous water governance around the globe. Findings indicate that “water is life” is a fundamental principle of Indigenous water governance frameworks, as is “water as an interconnected whole” that forms a greater part of a community’s life and identity. The “Living Water, First Law” model and the Kistihtamahwin framework are examples of Indigenous water governance models identified. Colonization and the relegation of Indigenous knowledge remain a critical challenge to effective implementation of existing models of Indigenous water governance systems. This requires reform of contemporary water governance structures or formation of new systems that unsettle colonial legacies and privilege Indigenous worldviews and governance frameworks. These must focus on the overall health of the rivers, lakes, or freshwater entity and the holistic health of communities and be preceded by genuine nation-to-nation relationships.