Publication :

Improving environmental management through indigenous peoples’ involvement

The objective of this paper is to investigate how indigenous peoples’ involvement can improve the environmental management practices of organizations in the natural resource extraction sector. Based on a qualitative study and semi-structured interviews with 33 respondents, this study sheds more light on the environmental involvement of a particular category of stakeholder rarely considered in the managerial literature. The findings show the risk management issues, corporate legitimacy objectives, and regulatory requirements underlying this type of environmental involvement. We also identify the main practices and benefits of fully engaging with indigenous peoples on environmental issues, particularly in terms of knowledge of local ecosystems and sensitive sites, biodiversity management, development of environmental values within the organization, and support in environmental monitoring. The paper contributes to the literature on both environmental management and relationships between extractive organizations and indigenous communities. Managerial implications and avenues for future research are also discussed.