The ocean is our planet’s lifeblood. It regulates our climate, supplies half of our oxygen, and provides sustenance to billions. Yet, our ocean is under serious threat — from overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and much more — diminishing its health, resilience and productivity.
Historically, those with the deepest knowledge of ocean care — local and Indigenous communities — have been sidelined. Their millennia-old, time-tested traditional practices of environmental management have been suppressed. At the same time, 80% of the world’s biodiversity is found in territories protected, owned, or occupied by Indigenous Peoples (1), encompassing vast coastal and oceanic expanses.