Indigenous people and local communities have lived with and developed relationships with other species/beings (e.g. water, fishes), in some cases, for thousands of years. During this time, lessons were learned, stories were told, songs were sung, norms developed that shaped how these people used, respected, and cared for these other beings.
This session elevates the contribution of Indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) in global fisheries as users, managers and leaders in defining and driving conservation and sustainable fisheries management.
Indigenous people and local communities comprise most fishers globally by numbers, often participating in mixed activities for nutrition and livelihood. In doing so, they also act as resource managers and stewards through formal and informal rules. Integrating the vision and existing governance of these fishery actors, through community-based and co-management approaches, is challenging yet necessary.
A global range of presentations are invited to highlight the diverse roles and contributions of IPLCs in fisheries and explore pathways increasing their critical contribution to fish conservation and fisheries management. Topics that explore how indigenous knowledge can be incorporated into relationship/management plans to build social-ecological resilience and adaptation to a changing environment are highly encouraged.
Organizers:
- Aaron Shultz, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), [email protected]
- Sui Phang, The Nature Conservancy, [email protected]