Conversations in Water: Whose Knowledge Counts?

Water research has long been shaped by a narrow set of voices — typically Global North institutions, technical experts, and dominant scientific paradigms — while the knowledge of Indigenous communities, women, rural users, and other groups directly affected by water scarcity, pollution, and governance decisions is often sidelined or treated as anecdotal rather than evidence. Yet these communities frequently hold generations of situated knowledge about water systems that formal research overlooks.This article collection invites opinion/perspective papers that interrogate who is currently driving the water research narrative, and why. We welcome perspectives on: which populations and demographics are underrepresented as knowledge-holders and co-researchers in water science; how power imbalances in funding, publishing, and academic gatekeeping shape whose findings count as “evidence”; the role of gender, indigeneity, class, and geography in determining research agendas; and what more inclusive, equitable models of knowledge production and co-production could look like in practice.We are looking for provocative, concise Opinion or Perspective pieces that stake out a clear position and invite debate from researchers, practitioners, and community representatives across disciplines and geographies. Topic editors: Victoria Ustenko Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84079/conversations-in-water-whose-knowledge-counts