Collaborative knowledge braiding for restoration: assessing climate change risks and adaptation options at Wuda Ogwa in southeastern Idaho, United States

Abstract

The restoration of culturally significant landscapes poses formidable challenges given more than 160 years of settler‐colonial land use change and a rapidly changing climate. A novel approach to these challenges braids Indigenous and western scientific knowledge. This case study braids Indigenous plant knowledge, species distribution models (SDMs), and climate models to inform restoration of the Bear River Massacre site in Idaho, now stewarded by the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. MaxEnt SDMs were used to project the future spatial distribution of culturally significant plant species under medium (SSP2‐4.5) and high (SSP5‐8.5) emissions scenarios. These results support Tribal revegetation priorities and approaches, identified by tradeoffs between each species' current and future suitability. This research contributes to a knowledge‐braiding approach to the analysis of climate risks, vulnerabilities, and restoration possibilities for Indigenous‐led restoration projects by using the Wuda Ogwa ecological restoration site as a case study.