Local ecological knowledge (LEK) systems and the connection of people to mangroves have been overlooked in marine science research, conservation, and policy. Dismissal of LEK has resulted in harmful global impacts to local communities and marine life.
Ecosystems are under tremendous pressures due to pollution, land use changes, rapid expansion of invasive species, overfishing and climate change threatening many communities and ways of living. It’s important to build solidarity networks that encompass diverse forms of knowledge, but a major question is how to do this in an ethical and non-extractive way?
Over the past year I’ve been working with the Mangrove Network collective in Cayapas-Mataje, Ecuador to develop:
•Principles and guidelines for co-production of knowledge and cultural bioindicators for mangrove conservation
•Incorporating a care ethics approach to guide the restoration of cockle fisheries, mangrove conservation and data sovereignty
Shellfish or commonly known as cockles grow in mangroves and are key for the economy of the local community.