| Indigenous-governed collaborations (IG) | Indigenous-driven co-governance (ICoG) | Agency-driven co-governance (ACoG) | Agency governance (AG) | |
| Power sharing | ||||
| Decision making level and control | Decision making between Indigenous agencies; high Indigenous control | Decision making defined by Indigenous law and culture and partner requirements; substantial Indigenous control | Decision making by agency and Indigenous people according to agreed structures, typically committees; substantial agency control | Depends on specific project, usually agency controlled but local scale provides Indigenous input |
| Rules-definition | Rules defined by Indigenous organizations working together to shape contemporary Indigenous governance | Rules defined by Indigenous peoples as constrained by partner requirements | Rules defined by agency as constrained by legislative and policy recognition of Indigenous rights | Rules defined by agency constrained only by legally enforced Indigenous rights |
| Resource cultural values and property rights | Resources highly valued by Indigenous societies; rights may be defined/constrained but viewed as open to transformation | Resources of lesser value in industrial economy (hinterlands of first world economies); Indigenous property rights strong | Resources of contested value between industrial and Indigenous economies; Indigenous property rights defined and contained | Resources highly valued by industrial economy, e.g., water in heavily used systems; few Indigenous property rights |
| Participation | ||||
| Participatory processes and functions | Inclusivity that engages Indigenous people in new Indigenous institution building | Inclusivity that engages Indigenous people in new environmental institution building | Indigenous rights-based negotiation, e.g., for Native Title Acts, cultural heritage clearances |
Participation through stakeholder mechanisms, e.g., committees, projects |
| Organizations engaged | Diverse Indigenous organizations at multiple scales | Diverse Indigenous and nonindigenous organizations at multiple scales | Government agencies and NGOs, with defined Indigenous roles, e.g., Land Councils | Government agencies and NGOs with defined environment management roles |
| Coordination | Cross-regional and cross-jurisdictional empowerment of Indigenous groups | Indigenous holistic place-based community empowerment | Whole-of-government coordination | “Silo”, agency accountability for specific mandate |
| Intercultural purpose | ||||
| Environmental management project purposes | Overall purpose of strengthening Indigenous society through environmental management | Multiple purposes, reflecting Indigenous-centred holistic community planning | Multiple purposes, reflecting outcomes of negotiated agreements | Usually single or dual purpose, managing specific threats, species or areas |
| Purpose of Indigenous roles | Expression of inherent rights and responsibilities | Reconciliation, long-term, lasting resolution of issues | Equity plus recognition of specifically defined rights | Equity with other stakeholders in environmental management |
| Purpose of Indigenous development | Indigenous modernity, people resist, accommodate, and reshape interventions | Indigenous empowerment and community development | Human capability development, sustainable livelihoods through deployment of assets | Development as modernization and technology transfer |
| Capacity-building | Focus on building trust and relationships between diverse Indigenous groups | Focus on Indigenous and nonindigenous functionality in both Indigenous and settler society | Focus on Indigenous functionality in settler society and cross-cultural training for nonindigenous people | Focus on training Indigenous peoples to ensure functionality in settler-society |