Stewardship of Tribal Biodiversity in the United States

Indian tribes in the United States manage more land than the National Park Service and have a strong record of effective conservation and wildlife stewardship. Several studies have shown that Indigenous-managed lands have a higher biodiversity than other areas, including conservation lands managed by other entities. Despite these successes, tribes have had to fight hard to maintain the recognition of their inherent sovereignty—a status enshrined in the US Constitution and upheld by numerous Supreme Court cases. In this chapter, we will briefly review the history of tribes’ fight for the recognition of sovereignty over land, water, and wildlife; discuss the ramifications of tribal sovereignty and the trust responsibility of the United States as it relates to tribal land and wildlife management; offer suggestions for the proactive coproduction of biodiversity research; and describe how innovative tribal wildlife management projects are reshaping the dialog over land stewardship in North America.