Leaders in local communities with longstanding relationships to our ocean are most impacted by a changing climate, pollution, and biodiversity loss, and these frontline responders will be the ones to advance policy changes and the solutions we need for effective management of marine protected areas and other protected waters. Yet global and national ocean protection strategies often fail to center these coastal communities.  

Centering community stewardship can produce better conservation outcomes by eliciting solutions from the depth of firsthand experience and Indigenous knowledge. Local leadership, especially in non-western and post-colonial communities, can build more durable partnerships, reduce “parachute conservation” rooted in imbalances of power from disparities in education, economic opportunity, and historical ways of living, and provide the global community with more equitable strategies to address climate change and biodiversity loss.  

During Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2024, the “Community Stewardship of Protected Waters” plenary session will discuss the co-benefits of centering community stewardship of our ocean and coasts and where a different kind of leadership can empower local stewards and elevate coastal communities through more effective and equitable model.  

Join us for the “Community Stewardship of Protected Waters” plenary, hosted by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, for this discussion. Heather Ludemann (Packard Foundation) will offer opening remarks. The panel will be moderated by Ayana Melvan (Aquarium Conservation Partnership). The panel features High Talking Chief Atuatasi Lelei Peau (National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa), Queen Quet (Gullah/Geechee Nation), and W. Rufus Arnold (Makah Tribal Council). 

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 5th from 3-4:00 PM EST and register to join the conversation during Capitol Hill Ocean Week.

Register for CHOW!