This article was originally shared by the UN Ocean Decade.

This article is part of the new ‘Ocean Science in Action’ series, which highlights achievements and success stories from our network of endorsed Decade Actions.

Indigenous peoples represent less than 5% of the world’s population, but they steward over 25% of the Earth’s land and seas. Because Indigenous peoples and local communities are often well-positioned to observe and understand local ecosystems, Indigenous and local communities’ knowledge, constitutes one of the largest bodies of human knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystems.

In this article, we highlight two initiatives endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (‘Ocean Decade’) that amplify Indigenous and local ocean stewardship.

Indigenous and local knowledge refers to the diverse and numerous forms of understandings, skills, beliefs, and values held by local communities with long histories and experiences of interaction with their natural surroundings.

For over 7,000 years, Indigenous Australians have used stories to record rising ocean, preserving 21 accounts that accurately describe coastal changes from 7,000 to 18,000 years ago. In French Polynesia, the practice of rāhui, temporary community-led harvest bans, has helped reefs recover and increased fish populations by up to ten times. Far to the north, Inuit hunters “read” sea ice through generations of knowledge, noticing small changes in thickness, freezing, and movement. In times of climate change, their knowledge of ice conditions often outperforms scientific forecasts.

Built on thousands of years of observation and coexistence, Indigenous and local knowledge systems offer community-driven frameworks for ocean stewardship. However, often Indigenous peoples and local communities are excluded from policymaking or denied their rights to steward the ecosystems they depend on. This year’s climate COP30 in Belém, Brazil, highlighted unresolved land-tenure conflicts and the rising violence faced by Indigenous communities on the frontline of climate impacts.

In response, more researchers and Indigenous people are following the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing. This means looking at the world with one eye through the strengths of Indigenous knowledge, with the other through the strengths of Western science, and using both together to support ocean health and human well-being.

As part of the Ocean Decade, Indigenous knowledge holders and rightsholders collaborate with the wider ocean science community to co-design solutions to safeguard ocean health across the world. The two success stories below highlight how the Ocean Decade is blending Western science with the wisdom and experience of Indigenous and local communities to advance ocean sustainability.

Enhancing Estuary Resilience in Coastal British Columbia through Indigenous-led restoration

In the province of British Columbia, Canada, estuaries and coastal wetlands make up less than 3% of the coastline, yet they support over 80% of the area’s coastal fish and wildlife. To protect these vital ecosystems, the Decade Project Enhancing Estuary Resilience in Coastal BC, led by the Nature Trust of British Columbia, is working with First Nations across the coast on large-scale restoration efforts.

C’tasi:a Geraldine Manson, Elder, Snuneymuxw First Nation speaks to the importance of community, storytelling and Indigenous knowledge in the project: “Carrying the wisdom and knowledge to allow others to see and hear stories connected to this estuary and to the river. To always remember that we are now the stewards, to continue to pass on and on to our youth, because they are going to be the leaders of these lands. That is what my role in my community is about.”

Across 20 monitoring sites, supported by 17 Indigenous communities and organizations, Elders, youth, and scientists track how estuaries are changing and how they can be restored. This approach can be seen in the Quw’utsun/Xwulqw’selu (Cowichan/Koksilah) Estuary, one of Vancouver Island’s most productive intertidal zones. Here a new plant nursery and restoration work are reviving Indigenous food systems and supporting the recovery of 70 hectares of salt marsh.

This partnership also provides equitable funding and opportunities, which has led to over 100 First Nation community members as well as First Nation-owned businesses working on this project. The project aims to use the results of these monitoring efforts to co-design large-scale restoration projects with First Nation partners.

CoopeSoliDar R.L: Building equity and resilience in Central America’s small-scale fisheries

Small-scale artisanal fishing is at the heart of many Indigenous, Afro-descendent and local communities in Central America, providing food security, culture and livelihoods to people across the region. Yet, major challenges persist: many Indigenous and local people, fisherwomen, and small-scale fishers often lack equitable access to land and marine tenure, access to marine resources, or decent work in the fisheries sector.

To address this, the Decade Project CoopeSoliDar R.L has been working for over 25 years with partners across the region to develop and implement the Voluntary Small Scale Guidelines for the sustainability of Small Scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication. This work strengthens policies, strategies, and legal frameworks for Central America’s small-scale fisheries. It includes securing tenure rights, fair access to responsible fishing, gender equity, and the revitalization of traditional knowledge

“The SSF guidelines, approved by governments in 2014, are the root towards the recognition of small-scale fishers as rights holders and stewards of the coastal and marine resources,” said Vivienne Solis Rivera, founder of CoopeSoliDar R.L. “They also highlight the urgent need to recognize their traditional knowledge for decision-making that affects fishers’ marine territories of life.”

It has for instance supported the Garifuna small-scale fisher communities in Honduras to obtain fair working conditions, recover access to traditional fishing areas, and have equitable access to the conservation benefits of the Cayos Cochinos marine protected area.

As custodians of the ocean, Indigenous and local, small-scale fishing communities are central to the Ocean Decade’s efforts to protect, care for, and restore marine ecosystems across the world. By valuing and applying their knowledge, refined over centuries or even millennia, we open the door to more resilient, locally-led, and adaptive management practices for a sustainable ocean future.

For more information, please contact:

Ocean Decade Communications Team ([email protected])

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About the Ocean Decade:

Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.

About the IOC:

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 152 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.