Ňkwi Flores, PhD
Kara-Kichwa Nation, Kutakachi Pueblo – Chichupamp Runa
Pronouns: sibling/hir
Position(s):
Graduate Research Associate, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona & Indigenous R&D Scholar & BioKulture Designer at Kinray Hub, Kollab for Indigenous Data Governance
Ňkwi Flores is an Indigenous biokulture designer and kinship philosopher from the Kara-Kichwa Nation, Apya Yala – Turtle Island, working on agroecology systems, Indigenous soil health systems, and environmental markets. As the founder and principal consultant of Kinray Hub, hir pioneered a symbiotic indigeneity approach that systems orchestrate Indigenous komplexity systems theory with Western frameworks, focusing on transitioning from conventional concepts of conservation, sustainability, and development to resilient systems that honor more-than-human rights. At the University of Arizona, Ňkwi’s work advances BioKulture Design, reframing the paradox of “open” to promote trust-verse grounded embassy of bioculture IP rights and partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders. Hir efforts aim to safeguard agroecology systems and steward the semi-permeable biosphere while fostering social ecology value and enfranchising Indigenous Peoples in the global environmental discourse.
Project(s):
Indigenous R&D Katalyst for the Emergent Environmental Markets and Savimbo Indigenous Biotechnology and Ecological Engineering Initiative at Kinray Hub Ko-author, Nature Data Sharing Initiative (NDSI) Report at Cecil Ko-author, Indigenous ‘Agenda’ in Environmental Markets Report at Climate Collective Northeastern Fellow at the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Underground Explorer (2024) at the Society for the Protection of the Underground Network (SPUN) BioKulture Zacha Designer (Amazon Bioeconomy) at the Conservation X-Lab Ko-author, Indigenous Komplexity Systems Theory (KST) White paper (SEEKCommons Fellow) at the Open Environmental Data Project Indigenous Researcher at the Indigenous Knowledge Research Program, American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Tribal and Indigenous Agriculture Working Group at SARE Kollab on the Mountain Social Ecology Future at the Mountain Research Institute
Publication(s):
James Paynter, Ana Isabel Lopez, Alvaro Vallejo4, Nkwi K. Flores, Enrique Balp, Andrea D. Burbank MD, An interoperable unit for area-based biodiversity conservation: wicked problems, simple solutions, 2024, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381459737_An_interoperable_unit_for_area-based_biodiversity_conservation_wicked_problems_simple_solutions
Email: nkwiflores@gmail.com