Implementing the FAIR and CARE Principles Simultaneously: Emerging Insights from IPBES

The FAIR principles are considered to be an essential set of guidelines to make data as open as possible. However, the FAIR principles do not do justice to the data sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples. Therefore, as a counterweight to the openness of FAIR, the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance were published. Based on our experience in working with data management within the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), in this paper we identified 1) where the sub-principles are aligned 2) when they are independent, or 3) when they contradict each other. Alignments streamline the implementation of FAIR and CARE, as attention to one automatically supports the implementation of the other. Principles that can be implemented independently pose no problems, but both have to be addressed individually. For contradictions, however, solutions or concessions have to be considered to ensure FAIR and CAREful data management and stewardship to the fullest extent possible. These solutions are highly sensitive to the individual case, depending on, among others, the current characteristics of an organisation, the size and number of nationalities represented in an organisation and the scale of their work (global or regional), and they are likely to change over time. This essay is meant to start the dialogue within and between organisations, as recognising these opportunities and challenges can lead the way in implementing an equitable and effective approach across science-policy initiatives.