Indigenous peoples and local communities' bio-cultural knowledge at the
interface of marine research
Abstract
Globally, the governance and management of land and sea resources by
Indigenous peoples and local communities has existed for tens of
thousands of years and continues to exert influence over a quarter of
the worlds’ surface today (Garnett et al 2018). Yet the primacy of
Western science still overshadows the bio-cultural knowledges of
Indigenous peoples and local communities. To move beyond exclusions and
disenfranchised worldviews, science theory and practice must begin to
embrace, engage, respect and support Indigenous peoples and local
communities’ bio-cultural knowledges. We draw on the marine research
sector, specifically fisheries, to demonstrate where knowledges are
providing useful expertise and call for multidisciplinary approaches to
co-productions of science.
(Prepared for Nature Communications review).