Knowledge Governance

GOVERNANCE

Principles for handling sensitive, Indigenous and community-derived knowledge on Ekologos Wiki.

Ekologos Wiki recognises that ecological knowledge may come from researchers, communities, knowledge holders, archives and other sources, and that not all material should be treated in the same way. Knowledge governance concerns how material is attributed, reviewed, shared and, where necessary, restricted.

Attribution and Provenance

Where possible, Wiki records should identify who produced or contributed the knowledge, how it was documented, and the project, community or source from which it comes.

Consent and Permissions

Material should be published only where appropriate consent and permissions have been considered. This is especially important for photographs, recordings, oral histories and community-derived knowledge.

Restricted Material

Some material may not be suitable for unrestricted public access. Sensitive or restricted knowledge should not be published simply because it is available to the editorial team.

Community Review

Material involving community-derived knowledge may require review by relevant contributors or communities before publication or revision.

Public Access and Unrestricted Reuse

Making material publicly viewable on the Wiki does not automatically mean that it may be freely copied, republished or reused. Rights and reuse conditions may differ between records and types of material.

Future Development

As the Wiki develops, its knowledge-governance approach may consider frameworks such as the CARE Principles and Local Contexts. These are areas for future consideration rather than policies being declared as already adopted.