Indigenous Environmental Ethics and the Decolonisation of Development
Ecological Moral Agency in Rural Zimbabwe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15044520 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cornelius Dudzai (0000-0001-8346-983X, University of Wollongong, corresponding author), Rugare Mugumbate (0000-0001-5295-8198, University of Wollongong), Lynne Keevers (0000-0002-0929-7571, University of Canberra), Noel Garikai Muridzo (0000-0002-3295-0305, Midlands State University), John Chiwanza Magocha (Africa University), Anesu A Matanga (0000-0002-0796-9661, Midlands State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1187-7863 • E-ISSN: 1573-322X |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10806-026-09979-3 |
| OpenAlex | W7152368659 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
Dominant development paradigms remain largely anthropocentric, positioning the natural environment as a passive resource rather than an active participant in development. This study analyses Indigenous environmental ethics as a decolonial framework for reconfiguring human-environment relations. Drawing on insights from Birchenough Bridge and Honde Valley in Zimbabwe, the study employs a collaborative Indigenous research methodology involving purposive and relational sampling, engaging 29 participants in Birchenough Bridge and nine in Honde Valley. Data were generated through walking discussions, storytelling, environmental observations, site visits, and co-analysis. The findings show that the environment functions as a moral agent shaping human behaviour through relational reciprocity, ecological restraint, and community governance practices. Environmental elements such as rivers, trees, soils, and seasons informed ethical conduct, risk awareness, and livelihood decisions. At the same time, the erosion of these ethics through commercialisation, religious shifts, and environmental exploitation reveals tensions between Indigenous moral systems and contemporary development pressures. The study further demonstrates how Indigenous environmental ethics contribute to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to environmental justice and sustainability. It also highlights implications for eco-social policy, calling for frameworks that recognise the environment as a co-participant in development processes
Agency (philosophy · Corporate governance · Environmental governance · Environmental justice · Environmental studies · Indigenous · Livelihood · Natural resource · Participant observation · Sustainable development · African cultural and philosophical studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
Indigenous ways of knowing and the study of environmental change
Challenging Global Development
Knowledge management
Environmental Ethics
Water spirits and the conservation of the natural environment
Our own law is making us beggars’
Sweetgrass Stories
Security risks from climate change and environmental degradation
Where Are There Sacred Mountains and What Makes Them Magical? A Material Religion Perspective
Indigenous Traditions and Ecological Ethics in Earth's Insights
Learning from land and water
Anthropocentrism
Conceptualizing Human Stewardship in the Anthropocene
How Environmental is African Traditional Religion
African Environmental Ethics, Indigenous Knowledge, and Environmental Challenges
Environmental social work through the African philosophy of Ubuntu
Cosmological limits to growth, affective abundance, and Rights of Nature
Ubuntu is Not Only about the Human! An Analysis of the Role of African Philosophy and Ethics in Environment Management
Critical environmental justice in contemporary scholarship and movements
Coming Full Circle
As We Have Always Done
Considering Indigenous Research Methodologies
Personhood and the Rights of Nature
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |