Indigenizing fungal biotechnology for planetary health: an opinion paper

Fungal Biology and Biotechnology · 2025-06-02 · 3 citations

New fungal biotechnologies are advancing applied and conservation mycology to support global regenerative outcomes for natural and human systems. Here, we propose the Applied and Conservation Mycology Framework to align fungal biotechnology and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in support of planetary health, "the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems it depends on." The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) adopted at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference is humanity's best effort at reconciling the sustainable development of all societies and biodiversity loss while reaffirming the rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs). Through Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) and Governance (IDGov), fungal biotechnologies could help address all 23 KM-GBF Targets. In this opinion paper, we apply Indigenous relational science and knowledge systems to explore how advancements in fungal biotechnology and digital technology enable Indigenous Peoples to develop, practice, and govern fungal biotechnologies for applied and conservation mycology. We focus on the Kara & Kichwa Nations, Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador, the Cultural Mountain of Andea, and the Cultural Rainforest of Amazonia. The ACMF centers on fungal biotechnological innovation by Indigenous Peoples and their participation in the global bioeconomy in the service of planetary health and all 23 KM-GBF Targets. We offer a starting point for envisioning future fungal technologies developed by Indigenous Peoples and in service of planetary health.

Toward a healthy planet through fungal biotechnology and Indigenous futures thinking: an opinion paper

2025-03-17

New fungal biotechnologies are advancing applied and conservation mycology to support global regenerative outcomes for natural and human systems. Fungi can support planetary health, “the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems it depends on,” through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF). The KM-GBF is humanity's best effort at reconciling the sustainable development of all societies and biodiversity loss while respecting Indigenous Peoplesʻ (IP) rights. Target 17 of the KM-GBF calls for sharing biotechnology benefits and sustainable use of biotechnology for biodiversity conservation. It complements Article 19 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which calls for biotechnology access and benefit sharing (ABS). Fungal biotechnologies are uniquely positioned to address Article 19 and the KM-GBF Targets. Fungi can help grow our material world sustainably, and conserving them is best done by preserving the ecosystems they inhabit, so-called “conservation of abundance.” Through capacity building and Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov), all 23 KM-GBF Targets can be addressed. In this opinion paper, we apply indigenous futures thinking to explore how advancements in fungal biotechnology and digital technologies enable the Kara & Kichwa Nation, people indigenous to Ecuador and the Andes Mountains, to practice and govern applied and conservation mycology. We propose a framework that extends efforts by the mycology community, further decentralizing applied and conservation mycology. Our framework centers fungal biotechnological innovation by Indigenous Peoples, and their participation in the global bioeconomy in service of planetary health and all 23 KM-GBF Targets. Specifically, we advocate for Global North governments and organizations to commit to the Targets and for Kara and Kichwa Nations to advance their fungal biotechnologies. We offer a starting point for envisioning future fungal technologies made possible by the design, development, and implementation of applied fungal biotechnologies by Indigenous Peoples.

Breathing Life Back into Zombie GPUs: A Sustainable Framework for AI Development

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025-01-01

This poster examines the rapid growth of AI the led to increased e-waste and environmental impact. It goes over a way to recycle older GPUs by creating and releasing open-source software frameworks designed to optimize older GPUs for modern AI and parallel computing workloads in order to create sustainable hardware economies.

Partnerships with Indigenous Peoples for an ethical bioeconomy

Nature Communications · 2025-03-27 · 10 citations

Biotechnology offers a sustainable route to manufacturing, but closing the loop towards safeguarding biodiversity remains challenging. Here, we explore how partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LC) can promote an ethical and circular bioeconomy.

Breathing Life Back into Zombie GPUs: A Sustainable Framework for AI Development

Open MIND · 2025-01-01

This poster examines the rapid growth of AI the led to increased e-waste and environmental impact. It goes over a way to recycle older GPUs by creating and releasing open-source software frameworks designed to optimize older GPUs for modern AI and parallel computing workloads in order to create sustainable hardware economies.

Earth Friendly Computation: Applying Indigenous Data Lifecycles in Medical and Sovereign AI

2024-11-21 · 3 citations

The following sections are included: Overview, Background & key terms, Earth Friendly Computation 574: Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Circular Systems, and Solarpunk Solutions for a Sustainable Future, AI in Point-of-Care: A Sustainable Healthcare Revolution at the Edge, Conclusion: The Future of Earth Friendly Computation, Acknowledgments, References.

Nothing about us without us: Sharing results with communities that provide genomic data

Cell · 2024-09-19 · 6 citations

Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Circular Systems, and Solarpunk Solutions for a Sustainable Future

2024-11-21 · 2 citations

Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data center infrastructure have brought the global cloud computing market to the forefront of conversations about sustainability and energy use. Current policy and infrastructure for data centers prioritize economic gain and resource extraction, inherently unsustainable models which generate massive amounts of energy and heat waste. Our team proposes the formation of policy around earth-friendly computation practices rooted in Indigenous models of circular systems of sustainability. By looking to alternative systems of sustainability rooted in Indigenous values of aloha 'āina, or love for the land, we find examples of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) that can be imagined alongside Solarpunk visions for a more sustainable future. One in which technology works with the environment, reusing electronic waste (e-waste) and improving data life cycles.

The gout epidemic in French Polynesia: a modelling study of data from the Ma’i u’u epidemiological survey

The Lancet Global Health · 2024-03-12 · 34 citations

BackgroundGout is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis worldwide, particularly in Pacific regions. We aimed to establish the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in French Polynesia, their associations with dietary habits, their comorbidities, the prevalence of the HLA-B*58:01 allele, and current management of the disease.MethodsThe Ma’i u’u survey was epidemiological, prospective, cross-sectional, and gout-focused and included a random sample of adults from the general adult population of French Polynesia. It was conducted and data were collected between April 13 and Aug 16, 2021. Participants were randomly selected to represent the general adult population of French Polynesia on the basis of housing data collected during the 2017 territorial census. Each selected household was visited by a research nurse from the Ma’i u’u survey who collected data via guided, 1-h interviews with participants. In each household, the participant was the individual older than 18 years with the closest upcoming birthday. To estimate the frequency of HLA-B*58:01, we estimated HLA-B haplotypes on individuals who had whole-genome sequencing to approximately 5× average coverage (mid-pass sequencing). A subset of individuals who self-reported Polynesian ancestry and not European, Chinese, or other ancestry were used to estimate Polynesian-ancestry specific allele frequencies. Bivariate associations were reported for weighted participants; effect sizes were estimated through the odds ratio (OR) of the association calculated on the basis of a logistic model fitted with weighted observations.FindingsAmong the random sample of 2000 households, 896 participants were included, 140 individuals declined, and 964 households could not be contacted. 22 participants could not be weighted due to missing data, so the final weighted analysis included 874 participants (449 [51·4%] were female and 425 [48·6%] were male) representing the 196 630 adults living in French Polynesia. The estimated prevalence of gout was 14·5% (95% CI 9·9–19·2), representing 28 561 French Polynesian adults, that is 25·5% (18·2–32·8) of male individuals and 3·5% (1·0–6·0) of female individuals. The prevalence of hyperuricaemia was estimated at 71·6% (66·7–76·6), representing 128 687 French Polynesian adults. In multivariable analysis, age (OR 1·5, 95% CI 1·2–1·8 per year), male sex (10·3, 1·8–60·7), serum urate (1·6, 1·3–2·0 per 1 mg/dL), uraturia (0·8, 0·8–0·8 per 100 mg/L), type 2 diabetes (2·1, 1·4–3·1), BMI more than 30 kg/m2 (1·1, 1·0–1·2 per unit), and percentage of visceral fat (1·7, 1·1–2·7 per 1% increase) were associated with gout. There were seven heterozygous HLA-B*58:01 carriers in the full cohort of 833 individuals (seven [0·4%] of 1666 total alleles) and two heterozygous carriers in a subset of 696 individuals of Polynesian ancestry (two [0·1%]).InterpretationFrench Polynesia has an estimated high prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia, with gout affecting almost 15% of adults. Territorial measures that focus on increasing access to effective urate-lowering therapies are warranted to control this major public health problem.FundingVariant Bio, the French Polynesian Health Administration, Lille Catholic University Hospitals, French Society of Rheumatology, and Novartis.

Why community consultation matters in genomic research benefit-sharing models

Genome Research · 2024-01-01 · 9 citations