Indigenous knowledge steers new protections for the high seas

The view from Air Force One, with Barack Obama on board, as it approaches Midway Atoll in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Pacific Ocean, September 2016. AFP - SAUL LOEB

For centuries prior to modern conservation efforts, indigenous communities cared for the oceans with a fundamentally different philosophy – treating marine environments as family rather than a commodity. With the UN High Seas Treaty set to come into force in January, their knowledge is being formally recognised in the governance of international waters for the first time.

Sixty ratifications pushed the treaty over the line, with Morocco’s kick-starting the 120-day countdown to 17 January.