Discussing Inter-disciplinary Ocean Science at the Marine Conservation Congress
How much progress have we made in engaging Indigenous peoples and local knowledge holders within marine conservation? The 7th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC7: 13-18 October 2024, Cape Town, South Africa) brought together a network of over 800 participants including scientists, academics, students, conservationists, environmental NGOs, policymakers, and community leaders to discuss interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to marine conservation under the theme, “Making Marine Science Matter.” Key discussions addressed pressing issues such as climate change, fisheries management, conservation governance, and the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge in marine science. Highlight sessions included workshops on transforming social-ecological systems and panel discussions on decolonising marine conservation.
A major focus of the conference was highlighting the role of community engagement and local knowledge within conservation. Various speakers spoke to the importance of empowering communities, especially youth and indigenous groups, to actively participate in ocean stewardship. Hub researcher, Nina Rivers, took part in a panel discussion entitled “Preserving Cultural Heritage, Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge, and Decolonising Marine Conservation”. She discussed the use of participatory arts-based methods as a tool to decolonise marine research and at the end of her talk posed two questions to the audience: In this work of decolonising marine research and conservation, how can we ensure that: 1) We do not exploit and appropriate non-Western knowledge systems? 2) We do not essentialise (reducing complex identities to simplistic or stereotypical representations) Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge holders and perpetuate stereotypes and biases? In the spirit of having careful and respectful conversations, an audience member explained that he once asked this of an Indigenous elder to which he gently responded that sometimes the best thing to do is “get out of the way” and give space to traditional knowledge holders to do the work of representing themselves, their knowledge and their ideas.
One Ocean Hub Deputy Director, Philile Mbatha, also presented at the conference in a panel discussion that focused on “Shaping the Future: Harnessing Science, Indigenous Knowledge, and Capacity for Scalable, Sustainable Conservation. Philile’s talk focused on “Harnessing plural knowledge systems for promoting equity in conservation governance”. In the discussion, Philile used the lens of small-scale fishing communities in South Africa to highlight the significance of harnessing diverse knowledge systems that contribute to the different ways of knowing about the ocean. She also highlighted how the need to support and respect embedding of support for Indigenous and local knowledge systems and rights is enshrined in international fisheries and conservation instruments, i.e. the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) and Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Others speakers expanded on this, focusing on themes including: a) collaboration (to highlight the significance of partnerships between scientists and Indigenous/local communities to share knowledge and resources; b) capacity building (relating to strategies for empowering local communities to actively engage in conservation initiatives, ensuring long-term sustainability and; c) scalability (reflecting on how successful conservation practices can be expanded and adapted across various ecosystems and cultural contexts).
On the final day, keynote speaker Angelo Villagomez, emphasised the critical role of inclusive approaches in ocean conservation, focusing on equity and indigenous leadership. He highlighted the importance of protecting marine biodiversity while ensuring the involvement of communities directly reliant on these ecosystems. The Congress concluded with a call for integrating human dimensions into conservation strategies, emphasising that protecting the ocean requires understanding and addressing societal dynamics.
If you would like to know more about local knowledge, and its role in ocean science, visit our One Ocean Learn platform where you will find this and many other learning pathways on various ocean topics.
Related SDGs:
