EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Indigenous Peoples' Day

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, we’re exploring how Indigenous communities contribute to science, conservation, health research, and much more.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Apr-2026 19:16 ET (26-Apr-2026 23:16 GMT/UTC)

20-Nov-2025

Study finds Indigenous-led hunting most effective for tackling deer overabundance on B.C. islands

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As ecosystems in coastal British Columbia disappear due to long-term browsing pressures from overabundant black-tailed deer, a new study led by UBC with Coast Salish Nations and regional research partners identifies the most effective solutions to address deer overabundance on the Southern Gulf Islands.

Journal: People and Nature

20-Nov-2025

Timely documentary explores the world’s critical edges at the crossroads of megaprojects and nature conservation

University of Eastern Finland

The Maya Forest on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico stands at the intersection of megaprojects and nature conservation. A new documentary film, SAKBE – Roads of Life in the Maya Forest, tells a story of biocultural diversity and about people, nature conservation and conflicts in an area where biodiversity is extraordinarily abundant. At the same time, the film offers a broader view of the future of the world’s supposedly remote regions.

20-Nov-2025

Researchers warn of the need for Brazil to turn promises into practical actions at COP30

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In an article published in a scientific journal, the group emphasizes that Brazil must align its domestic policies with international commitments.The scientists emphasize the need to “reverse anti-environmental policies, enforce laws to combat deforestation, and strengthen sustainable development actors to turn promises into concrete actions through legislative reforms, the restoration of environmental licensing, and the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights

Journal: International Environmental Agreements Politics Law and Economics
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

18-Nov-2025

Ancient and colonial legacies still shaping the Amazon’s forests

Universiteit van Amsterdam
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Human influence across centuries continues to define biodiversity and carbon storage in the world’s largest rainforest, according to a new collaborative and international study led by the University of Amsterdam. The study shows that the Amazon rainforest – often described as one of the last untouched wildernesses – still bears the deep ecological imprints of both pre-Columbian Indigenous communities and European colonists. The study was published on 17 November in the journal PNAS.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

17-Nov-2025

Climate resilience found in traditional Hawaiian fishponds

University of Hawaii at Manoa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biolog revealed Indigenous aquaculture systems, such as fishponds, effectively shield fish populations from the negative impacts of climate change, demonstrating resilience and bolstering local food security.

Journal: npj Ocean Sustainability
Funder: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

10-Nov-2025

Billions live in environments that violate human rights

University of Colorado at Boulder
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A global analysis found that almost everyone on Earth experiences at least one poor environmental condition, with the greatest burdens falling on low-income and Indigenous communities.

Journal: Environmental Research Communications