Data Management in Traditional Communities

Abstract

Introduction: the interview addresses data management involving Indigenous peoples and traditional communities, focusing on the ethical, political, and epistemological implications of handling such data. It highlights how governance principles and instruments can guide open science practices while respecting community knowledge sovereignty. Method: qualitative interview based on semi-structured questions and supported by a selective literature review on Indigenous data governance, FAIR and CARE principles, TK/BC labels, and international legal frameworks related to Indigenous peoples and traditional communities. Results: analysis shows that data management involving traditional communities is intrinsically linked to knowledge sovereignty, cognitive justice, and the decolonization of research methodologies; distinguishes conventional scientific data from records of traditional knowledge; highlights ethical, political, and legal tensions in data collection, integration, and openness; discusses how CARE and FAIR principles can be jointly mobilized; and presents TK (Traditional Knowledge) and BC (Biocultural) labels, along with national and international initiatives, as instruments for community-based governance, cultural integrity preservation, and recognition of the original knowledge holders. Conclusions: the interview indicates that incorporating community epistemologies and protocols into scientific data management requires rethinking repositories, open science policies, and regulatory frameworks, acknowledging the centrality of collective rights, active participation of traditional communities in all stages of the data life cycle, and the possibility of defining differentiated levels of openness, sharing, or restriction, thus advancing towards more ethical, contextual, and equitable models of data governance.