Native Oceans Exchange

Native Oceans Council : January 19-26 2008
Sea turtles are the most charismatic of marker species indicating the overall health of
oceanic habitat and life. The large community of sea turtle biologists, researchers and
grassroots conservation organizations stationed around the globe meets annually for the
International Sea Turtle Society Symposium. In 2008, Loreto, Mexico was chosen as the
site for this gathering. Nearly 1000 participants from 70 countries attended. This yearʼs
Symposiumʼs theme, “Native Oceans” was chosen to provide a showcase for indigenous
conservation strategies, based on traditional knowledge, for the purpose of integrating
them with the pure science that usually dominates this gathering.
The conservation ethics and practices of coastal Indigenous people are crucial to
international conservation efforts. These communities have disproportional impact on
critical habitat and species. Their contemporary strategies are based on centuries of
traditional knowledge, economic and cultural interdependency, and they provide essential
information about the human justifications and needs for global conservation science.
The 2008 Native Oceans Council consisted of fifty-three
indigenous people from Australia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Palau,
Panama, and Venezuela. The interaction between these
community leaders and representatives of the worldʼs leading marine research institutes,
universities, large internationally based NGOʼs and government policy makers framed the
science and management strategizing at the Symposium. By the numbers, one-third of all
symposiumʼs presentations incorporated reflections and observations based on Traditional
Knowledge. More importantly, the presence of so many ancient turtle hunting cultures that
have now turned their efforts to conservation drove the participants to look deeper and
enlist new allies tin the fight against the assaultive escalation of marine destruction.
Building the Network
SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS
Sea Turtle Ceremony: As hosts of the symposium, the Seri Indians of Sonora led a fourday traditional ceremony. Nothing could express the intent or meaning of this ceremony
any better than the invitation that Grupo Tortuguero Comcáac leader Gabriel Hoeffer sent
inviting the whole community to participate:
You Are Invited to The Comcaac Ceremony
Plaza Juarez, January the 18th-21st, 3pm-9pm
All are invited to participate. Join us in solidarity.
Enjoy Face Painting, Dance & Song in Celebration of Sea Turtles.Photography is
permitted; please do so respectfully.
The Comcaac community holds ceremonies for many reasons and on many
different occasions. The course and activities of each ceremony are developed
with respect to the underlying purpose of that ceremony. For example, there are
distinct ceremonies to celebrate the New Year or to commemorate war. On this
occasion, Grupo Tortuguero Comcaac and Grupo Tortuguero of the Californias,
authorized by the Seri Elders Council, will hold a ceremony to both honor the Sea
Turtle and to welcome the indigenous groups and the many people gathering in
Loreto whom for many years have studied and fought for the preservation and
conservation of Sea Turtles. In this way, we will honor, welcome and thank the
people for protecting this sacred species, our national treasure that, according to
Comcaac mythology, gave birth to the world that we live in today.
In reality, today there are many songs, stories and myths about Sea Turtles.
Because of this, during the ceremony we will sing many songs that talk about their
behavior and lives; these songs have been passed down from generation to
generations through oral tradition and carry the profound message of the empirical,
or traditional, knowledge that our ancestors and elders have learned by living their
daily lives in harmonious coexistence with the Sea Turtle.
With this, we invite all people to join us in Plaza Juarez where members of our
community will paint faces in solidarity with the fight for Sea Turtle preservation. In
this way, all can participate in this ceremony in support of Sea Turtles, the Elders
Council and all of the people converging in Loreto that work to protect the Turtles.
The Comcaac use face painting to carry the message of their ceremonies. On this
occasion, we will use designs representing struggle and the traditional fiestas. No
one is required to have his/her face painted. You can also join us in celebratory
dance, which will also be part of the ceremony.
F. Gabriel Hoeffer
Grupo Tortuguero Comcaac
Created by Ocean Revolution and financed by a
grant from The Christensen Fund, The Seri and
Traditional Owners from the Northwest and
Torres Straits areas of Australia participated in Phase One of a year long Knowledge
Exchange. There will be a return visit of the Seri to Australia later in the year. This
exchange began with a gifting ceremony. The Seri presented sculptures of leatherback
turtles and the Traditional Owners presented a headdress symbolizing unity and solidarity
and a didgeridoo, a traditional aboriginal instrument.
Traditional Knowledge Exchange
The exchange aims for practical biocultural outcomes. The Seri are seeking skills that
allow them to become well funded, independent and to work more effectively with the
Mexican Government. They are modeling a newly created debris removal plan on the
“ghost net” program brought to Loreto by Traditional Owner groups from Hammond Island.
The Australians seek from the Seri information on monitoring techniques for freeswimming turtles and support in introducing a discussion about eliminating turtle meat from
their tribal diets.
The Exchange as a group is collaborating on reducing monitoring costs and providing
more safety for ranger teams and turtles by developing an ultra low impact monitoring
method based on software programmed and refined by the groups themselves. With this
software they will be able to notate habitat, species, and human impact events (pollution,
fishing effort, illegal captures) that will allow them to effectively monitor and protect their
home waters. They hope to trademark and license this system to other groups. During the
course of the week they also visited ancestral caves of the Seri and Isla Coronado
together as a group.
It is expected this “Knowledge Exchange” and its programs will expand to other turtle
cultures in Central and South America, Africa, Australia, and Melanesia.
Native Oceans Council

Many of the Native Oceans communities have made
significant contributions to achieving a sustainable future for
both turtles and their own communities by preserving and nurturing relationships with the
sea, collaborating globally, and working to fortify the values and traditions relating to the
sea turtle that preserve their cultural identity.
To help them understand and collaborate with each otherʼs work, and, to expose this work
to the Symposium as a whole, several council events were held. The public session in the
town plaza where the Seri formally welcomed each indigenous nation and the participants
exchanged music, art, stories, questions and information about their homelands and
projects was the highlight of the weekʼs events for many of the Council members.

The Council reflected on the historical and contemporary realities of indigenous coastal
communities where the sea turtle has great economic, cultural and spiritual significance.
They described their relationships with the oceans, the land and sea turtles, and how
changes in the ocean have required them to make cultural and economic adaptations.
They compared notes on how their knowledge has been integrated into western scientific
understanding. In some cases, this has been a healthy exchange, and in others it has not.
There have already been quantifiable outcomes. The Seri are well established in their
conservation efforts and have made a formal decision to eliminate turtle from their diet.
This sacrifice of their most significant source of tribal protein made a huge impact the
Tobians and Australians that still rely on the sea turtle as a nutritional source.
The Seri themselves have determined to work toward a unification of their conservation
efforts and recently made the tribeʼs first formal presentation (with multi-media equipment
given to them by ISTS) to CDI, Mexicoʼs federal indigenous support agency. They are
applying for over $200,000 in additional support for their community development and
conservation programs.

Local Learning with Bajaʼs Grupo Tortuguero  Grupo Tortuguero is a successful
community based conservation
network that has more than 500 members in 60 communities including fishermen,
scientists, housewives, and students. The success of this group justifies the methodology
developed to protect critical areas with a program informed by western science, traditional
field research and advocacy, and community organization. Native Oceans Council
members worked closely with members of Grupo Tortuguero to understand and model
their community-based conservation initiatives.


Traditional Owners made an impact with their presentation on the Ghost Net1 Removal
program as did the Ngoble-Bugle when they shared about their community-based
conservation efforts in Panama.

Most Council members NOs also had the opportunity to travel across the Baja Peninsula
to Lopez Mateos, a local fishing community that has embraced ecotourism and Sea Turtle
conservation creating opportunities for sustainable economic development. Participants
met with local activists and visited with Grupo Tortuguero members to learn about their
efforts. For Native Oceans participants, economic development is a critical factor in
developing effective long-term conservation strategies. The Native Oceans participants
were also introduced to the SEE Project, a project of the Ocean Conservancy that
promotes conservation tourism.
Beyond the exchange that occurred in Loreto, the
diverse nations represented in the Native Oceans
Council are sharing their stories locally and globally
via radio and internet technology, written reports, community presentations and the Native
Oceans blog, http://nativeoceans.org. Additionally, articles have appeared in the Mexican,
Australian and US press. A film on the Seri that includes Council footage is in the works.
Sharing Widely and Creatively
During the International Sea Turtle Symposium new
ideas were born and solutions to pre-existing
problems were discovered. The co-mingling of traditional wisdom and 21st century
conservation strategies within the international sea turtle community brought new
inspiration and deepened their commitment to their work; it also raised new questions and
concerns. Attached you will find the results of an exit survey defining these issues.
Outcomes and Next Steps
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Abandoned fishing nets that contribute to sea turtle mortality rates.
In addition to being the theme of the ISTS meeting, Native Oceans is an ongoing project of
Ocean Revolution, strengthening the link between indigenous sea turtle cultures and the
greater scientific community and strengthening the cultural and economic independence of
the communities themselves. With their experience at the ISTS, Native Oceans Council
members seek an ongoing forum for coastal indigenous conservation. The Native Oceans
Council is set to continue in Brisbane, Australia in January 2009 at the 29th annual ISTS
Symposium.
This network is a necessary component for effectively addressing threats to biocultural
diversity and related treats to sea turtles and the oceans that is their home.
Oceans Apart;
United in Action
Words by Djawa Yunupingu,
Director Dhimurru Land Management
Aboriginal Corporation; Frank Loban,
Dugong and Turtle Project Liaison Officer
for TSRA/NAILSMA and JCU Masters student;
Kenny Bedford, TSRA/NAILSMA Project
Officer Erub Island; and Stephen Ambar,
Head Community Ranger Hammond Island.
Pictures by Kenny Bedford and Frank Loban.
Compiled by the North Australian Indigenous
Land and Sea Management Alliance.
NAILSMA
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The sea cultures of Indigenous people from
coastal northern Australia and Mexico may be
oceans apart, but for the Australian Indigenous
land and sea managers who attended the
2008 Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and
Conservation in Mexico, the 15,000 km journey
revealed as many similarities as there were
differences.
The Australian delegation included Djawa Yunupingu from
north east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, and
from the Torres Strait; Frank Loban from Maluiligal Islands,
Kenny Bedford from Erub Island and Stephen Ambar from
Hammond Island.
Rod Kennett, NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle Project
Coordinator and Mark Hamann, JCU Research Fellow also
travelled with the delegation.
The Australians were invited to attend the symposium and
take part in a cultural exchange by the Comcaac or ‘Seri
Indian’ people.
The location of this year’s symposium (academic conference)
was the small seaside town of Loreto on the Mexican
Baja California Peninsula, and was a temporary home
to the Australian delegation—as well as 1000 scientists,
conservationists and Indigenous land and sea managers from
60 nations. The theme of this year’s symposium was “Native
Oceans” and it was hosted by the Seri Indians.
“It’s good to go to international conferences. We can meet
people from around the world and share our ideas about
turtle management and conservation.
“We learnt about new methods being developed by scientists
to manage turtles, respond to natural disasters and different
methods for rehabilitating sick or stranded animals”, said Mr
Yunupingu.
Mr Bedford described the experience as an excellent learning
opportunity, as well as a chance to promote the work of
Indigenous Rangers in Australia.
“The symposium was a very valuable experience, not only
to learn from others around the world about the various
issues relating to turtle conservation and management but to
also promote the good work we are doing in our respective
communities in Northern Australia”, said Mr Bedford.
Mr Ambar acknowledged the dedication of the Seri Indian
hosts towards the management and conservation of marine
turtles.
“The symposium is a chance from
us to learn from people like the Seri
about the issues they are faced with
and how they address them.”
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“The Seri Indians have been involved in turtle management
projects for many years, but in the Torres Strait it is only in
the last few years that communities have become actively
involved in turtle related activities.
“Now there is a growing enthusiasm in the Torres Strait to
participate in turtle, dugong and other natural resource
management projects on our country.
“The symposium is a chance from us to learn from people like
the Seri about the issues they are faced with and how they
address them”, said Mr Ambar.
For Mr Loban, the conference also represented an
opportunity to take back to the Torres Strait ideas about
management policy relating to turtles that had been
developed by other Indigenous land and sea managers from
around the world.
“The theme of the conference [Native Oceans] was an
acknowledgment of Indigenous issues surrounding land
and sea management. Indigenous people from around the
world have been involved in conservation for millennium.
For us [Indigenous people], conservation is not a new buzzword, it’s apart of our culture—we live closely with our
environment and have strong cultural ties to it.
“Attending the conference was a real eye-opener. It made
me realise how lucky we are in Australia to have stable
populations of turtle.
“It enabled me to see the bigger picture—to see what has
happened in other parts of the world before it happens here
[in the Torres Strait]. We are lucky to have this information
while our turtle stocks are still healthy”, said Mr Loban.
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“... although we still traditionally
harvest turtles in our community;
we also support research and are
developing strategies and implementing
projects that help to sustain turtle
populations...”
The Australian delegates attended the Pacific Nations
Meeting at the conference and were invited to make a
presentation on the issues faced in northern Australia and
some of the initiatives Indigenous people are involved in to
address these issues.
“I spoke about some of the challenges of trying to introduce
a management plan for the first time in my community, and
discussed my role as Project Officer on Erub Island for the
Dugong and Marine Turtle Project”, said Mr Bedford.
Mr Bedford provided insight for the attendees at the meeting
on the complexities of cultural diversity in the Torres Strait.
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“I explained the social and cultural diversity between islands
in the Torres Strait and the importance of developing local
community-based plans that suit the needs and aspirations
of respective communities.
“I stressed that although we still traditionally harvest
turtles in our community; we also support research and are
developing strategies and implementing projects that help
to sustain turtle populations in our region”, said Mr Bedford.
Mr Yunupingu presented the Dhimurru video ‘Life of a big
ghost net’ at the meeting.
“At the end of our presentation, we received a big round of
applause from the people attending the meeting. They were
impressed by our work and our dedication to maintaining
healthy sea country; that we care about turtles, and that the
government provides funding [through the Natural Heritage
Trust] to our communities [involved in the NAILSMA Dugong
and Marine Turtle Project] to allow us to continue our work”,
he said.
A major aspect of the NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle
Project, which is driven by Traditional Owners, is to build
networks amongst Saltwater People that are linked to
governments and the scientific community.
The conference has enabled this network to be extended
internationally, with the delegates making connections with
scientists and Indigenous people from around the world,
and gaining them access to international resources available
to people concerned with marine turtle management and
conservation.
Once such group is Grupo Tortuguero—a network of
individuals, communities, organisations, and institutions
from [predominantly Spanish-speaking] nations around the
world—who are dedicated to sea turtle conservation. The
Seri Indians are members of Grupo Tortuguero.
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As hosts of this year’s symposium, the Seri held a ‘welcome
to country’ where they performed their Leatherback Turtle
ceremony at a welcome social.
60,000 years. For most of the people, this was the first time
they heard a yidaki. It made hair stand up on end!” Mr
Yunupingu explained.
At a separate event, the Seri hosted a public forum where
they formally welcomed each of the 50 Indigenous
participants taking part in the symposium. 15 Indigenous
nations were represented including Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander nations from Australia, as well as Indigenous
nations from Mexico, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, and
Venezuela.
Mr Bedford spoke with the Seri at the event and described
the relationship between the elders and youth in the Seri
community as encouraging.
Representatives from the Torres Strait presented the Seri with
a framed Dhari (head dress). Mr Yunupingu presented them
with a yidaki (didgeridoo) on behalf of the Yolngu people—
but not before the skilled musician gave the audience a
performance of music from north-east Arnhem Land.
“Everybody’s eye’s lit-up when they heard the sound of the
yidaki. I think they were moved to hear an ancient instrument
being played. The yidaki has been around for more than
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“I emphasised the importance of ensuring we, as Indigenous
peoples, maintain and transfer our cultural knowledge
between generations, and that it is a shared responsibility by
all members of our respective communities”, said Mr Bedford.
Mr Bedford extended an invitation to the Seri to visit Erub
community in Torres Strait.
“I look forward to their interaction with our community, and
to the opportunities they will have to experience our culture
and environment and to learn about what we are doing to
manage and conserve our sea turtle populations”, said Mr
Bedford.
This was the beginning of a special relationship between
the Seri and the Indigenous delegates from Australia as
it signalled the commencement of a formal knowledge
exchange program.
As part of the exchange, the Seri invited their guests from
Australia on a two-day tour which included island visits and
tours of rock painting galleries.
“I could see similarities and differences between Seri and
Aboriginal people through the rock paintings. Their paintings
were similar to ours—the colours were similar—but the
stories were different”, explained Mr Yunupingu.
“Their stories praise the turtle. The turtle made the earth.”
The tone of the tour changed dramatically when the
delegation visited a beach that told a very modern and
disturbing story.
Mr Yunupingu explains.
“Hundreds of turtle carcases littered the beach. It was very
saddening to see such devastation.
“There was no official explanation, but some people think
the carcases may belong to turtles caught as by-catch by
fisherman”, said Mr Yunupingu.
Witnessing such devastation brought home to the delegation
from Australia the crisis facing turtle populations in other
parts of the world. It helped to explain the drastic measures
the Seri have taken to protect their turtle populations.
“Because of the outside pressures on the turtle populations,
the Seri were forced to make a sacrifice I hope we [in the
Torres Strait] will never have to make”, said Mr Loban.
“The Seri stopped hunting turtles many years ago. They have
sacrificed a part of their culture over their concern for the
dwindling numbers of turtle—brought about by the modern
pressures the region now faces.
“As an Islander man, I find it hard to comprehend such a
sacrifice, but I commend the Seri on their strength to make
such a decision.
“Hunting turtle represents so much to Torres Strait Islanders,
if fulfils sustenance, medicinal and cultural purposes. To stop
hunting would represent a major lost to our culture.
“Conservation is apart of our culture. We conserve so we can
consume. We are lucky that Australia’s turtle populations are
still stable. We have to work together to keep it that way”, said
Mr Loban.
The Seri and the Indigenous people from Australia are now
collaborating on the I-Tracker project—a new method for
monitoring turtle populations that combines the latest
technology with the traditional skills of Indigenous people.
The knowledge exchange will continue throughout the
year and a delegation of Seri is scheduled to make a visit to
northern Australia towards the end of the year.
The delegation from Australia was sent to Mexico through
a partnership between the North Australian Land and
Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), the Torres Strait
Regional Authority, Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal
Corporation, James Cook University and the United States
organisation, Ocean Revolution. The delegate’s attendance
was made possible through travel funding provided by James
Cook University and The Christensen Fund.
For more information visit: www.nailsma.org.au,
www.nativeoceans.org, www.oceanrevolution.org,
www.grupotortuguero.org, or www.seaturtle.org.
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NAILSMA
North Australian Land and Sea Management Alliance
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, 0909, Australia
Tel: +61 (0)8 8946 6883 | Fax: +61 (0)8 8946 6388
Email: [email protected] | Web: www.nailsma.org.au
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Survey of Native Oceans Participants
Wallace "J." Nichols, PhD • Co-Director • Pacific Region
Timothy R. Dykman • Co-Director • Atlantic Region
This document was compiled from surveys1 following the Ocean Revolution Native Oceans
Council (NOC) at the International Sea Turtle Symposium in Loreto, Mexico January 2008.
Native Oceans Council was made possible by Ocean Revolution, The Christensen Fund, The
Loreto Bay Foundation, The National Fish and Wildlife Fund, The Boyce-Abel Foundation,
Patagonia, The Ganfer Fundacion, and the International Sea Turtle Society.
The Survey Responses and follow-up communications
indicate that Native Oceans was a highly valued
experience for all participants who noted knowledge, network broadening, confidence in dealing
with the scientific community and revaluation of their work by their home communities as
positive outcomes. All expressed renewed dedication and pride.
Overall, formal and informal cultural and social knowledge exchange was valued equally with
the exchange of quantifiable data. There was appreciation for the recognition given for
indigenous contributions to the global protection and preservation of sea turtles. Reports
showed that Council members felt they were now filling a previously vacant and critical niche in
international indigenous and conservation networks.
Significance to Participants
Most Participants shared their experiences with their
communities, with government officials, in public
meetings, on the radio, in articles, new media and informal conversations. This take-home was
reported to receive positive response in all communities. The work of Council members was
seen as relevant; many community members expressed a desire to participate in the next event
and suggested that Native Oceans be an ongoing and permanent space for indigenous coastal
communities.
Significance to Communities
There is often no reliable telephone, internet or other electronic
communication services available in Native Oceans communities. Most Native
Oceans organizations do not have legal status or the ability to receive funds. In all
communities, even where an organization with legal standing already exists, there is a shared
desire to learn more about how to strengthen local infrastructure. Spanish speakers expressed a
desire to learn English as a way for opening communications with the international community.
Obstacles
There were various views about what a continuing Native Oceans
would look like
“Native Oceans should continue as a forum dedicated to supporting and networking
coastal indigenous communities. It should provide a way to combine, promote and
increase the visibility of Native Oceans efforts as well as the collective ability to incubate
and support new projects and organizations.”
“Native Oceans would benefit from an electronic forum for information exchange and a
way to post unified messages from the NOC members.”
Recommendations
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•
1
(15 Surveys total: 7 Mexico, 2 Venezuela, 4 Australia, 1 Nicaragua, 1 Palau)
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]
At future meetings, participants would like:
• Focused meetings on issues
o funding processes and sources
o Traditional and scientific knowledge
o Building infrastructure
• A more diverse participant base
• To create and disseminate a group statement to share with the international
conservation community and with other indigenous groups
• To have a physical meeting space dedicated to Native Oceans participants.
• A stronger link between Native Oceans and the ISTS, perhaps a Native Oceans session
in the Symposium.
• To meet earlier in the week to give more time for the process.
• To hold regular meetings between indigenous groups and key scientists/professionals
for capacity building.
• A foundation that financially supports the projects of NOC members, or that could have a
legal status to collect and distribute funds to unincorporated indigenous groups.
• Native Oceans should be tied to capacity building group experiences, like scientific
workshops geared towards training conservation officers from different ethnic
backgrounds or programs to bring various native people together to create art related to
endangered species.
Many participants suggested that Native Oceans be a yearly gathering, either on its own or as
part of the ISTS or some other such conference. The organizers of the ISTS 2009 expressed
support for making Native Oceans a part of the gathering and plan to include the opportunity for
indigenous participants to meet with Australian Traditional Owners prior to the Symposium.
In short, although the vision for the future of Native Oceans varied among participants, it was
unanimously recognized as the only international forum for indigenous groups working with
marine conservation issues, and as such is highly valued by participants whom express a
sincere desire and earnestness to see Native Oceans continue.
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]
Detailed Survey Results and Responses
1. Was this your first time participating in a Native Oceans event? How did you get your
funding to attend?
All reported that this was their first Native Oceans event. Funding sources varied by region.
Ocean Revolution, the ISTS and individual contributions were the primary sources of funding.
The Wayu from Venezuela were supported by Ocean Revolution.
The Seri were supported by Ocean Revolution through grants from The Loreto Bay
Foundation, The National Fish and Wildlife Fund, The Boyce-Abel Foundation,
Patagonia, and The Ganfer Funacion.
• The Australian Traditional Owners were funded by Ocean Revolution through a grant
from the Christensen Fund, James Cook University, Nailsma and research grants to
Frank Loban
• The Miskitu and other indigenous participants from Nicaragua were supported by the
Wildlife Conservation Society.
• The Palauans costs were offset by a mini grants from ISTS and Ocean Revolution.
2. Please share some highlights from Native Oceans this year.
• The General Meeting in the plaza: an opportunity to learn about each otherʼs customs
and share information in a way that dignified their histories and current efforts.
• Recognition of the contribution that indigenous communities are making to the protection
and preservation of the sea turtle on a global scale
• The opportunity for indigenous groups to share and relate with confidence
• Meeting other indigenous people
• Side trips to Isla Coronado, the Caves and the travel to/from Baja.
• The forum to discuss how work with scientists and foreigners has impacted their
communities and projects as well as the struggles and the problems they are facing
• Forming lasting personal relationships was mentioned repeatedly as well as a sense of
solidarity and understanding for each otherʼs common struggles.
• Tremendous gratitude was expressed toward Native Oceans staff and the Native
Oceans funders in this section for filling a formerly vacant and critical niche in the
international indigenous community, providing a forum for indigenous peoples to
convene regarding environmental and marine issues at the international level.
•
•
3. Can you think of any ways that Native Oceans could have been improved this year?
All participants expressed that Native Oceans was a positive experience this year and several
provided suggestions for improvement. Here are the most substantive suggestions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hold focused meetings about the issues the communities are facing and have a forum
for sharing potential solutions, i.e., more team work and formal exchange of ideas.
Have a more diverse participant base.
Create a unified message to share with the broader conservation community and with
other indigenous groups.
Have a physical meeting space dedicated to Native Oceans participants.
A stronger link between NO and the ISTS would have helped, perhaps with a NO
session in the ISTS Symposium.
Meet earlier in the week to give more time for the process.
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]
•
•
Hold systematic, exclusive meetings between indigenous groups and key
scientists/professionals for capacity building.
Share information regarding funding process and sources.
4. Has your participation in Native Oceans made a difference in your life or work?
Please describe.
All participants expressed that Native Oceans made a significant, positive contribution to their
lives:
• expanded understanding of issues common to other indigenous groups
• increased understanding of the ways that turtles are impacted by humans and the roles
they play in other cultures
• increased self-esteem, inspiration and an improved outlook on their work
• increased sense of dedication to the struggles in their home communities
• opened their eyes to the power of collaboration
• more confidence in their working relationships with western scientists on conservation
projects.
Native Oceans is now seen as a vehicle for indigenous groups network their resource
management planning.
5. Have you had the opportunity to share your experience of Native Oceans with your
community? If so, what has been the reaction? Is NO relevant to the community that
you represent?
Most participants reported they had the opportunity to share their experiences with people from
their home community. The work of Native Oceans was seen as relevant to their home
communities and many community members expressed a desire to have the opportunity to
participate in such an event and/or for NO to be an ongoing and permanent space for
indigenous coastal communities.
Sharing occurred in the home, with friends and family, in public meetings, on the radio, in
articles, via electronic communication and in informal conversations. In Mexico, the Seri had the
opportunity to share with their tribe and with the CDI, opening the eyes of their federal
government to the potential positive outcomes of supporting such gatherings within their
country. Similarly, there has been a positive response in Venezuela and a request for a national
indigenous gathering focused on environmental and marine issues. Other local sharing
occurred in the home regions of each participant group, carrying the credibility of the
international conservation community.
6. Would you like to see Native Oceans continue? If so, please share your vision for
what that would look like.
All participants would like to see Native Oceans continue. There was some variance in the
vision of what that would look like, but the common threads were:
•
Native Oceans should continue to exist as a space dedicated to supporting the network
of coastal indigenous communities, thus providing a way to combine, promote and
increase the visibility of their efforts as well as a collective ability to incubate and support
new projects or organizations
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]
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Native Oceans should continue to rely on face-to-face interactions and would benefit
from an electronic forum for information exchange and a way to post unified messages
from the NOC members.
Native Oceans should continue to dignify the work of coastal indigenous communities at
the level of the international scientific conservation community
Knowledge exchange must include traditional and scientific knowledge
Many participants suggested that Native Oceans be a yearly gathering, either on its own or as
part of the ISTS or some other such conference. The organizers of the ISTS 2009 expressed
their interest and support for making Native Oceans a part of the gathering and would like to
include the opportunity for indigenous participants to meet with local TOʼs prior to the
Symposium.
Other suggestions included:
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Native Oceans should create a foundation to financially support the projects of NOC
members, or that could be the legal entity to collect and distribute funds to
unincorporated indigenous groups.
NO should be tied to capacity building group experiences, like scientific workshops
geared towards training conservation officers from different ethnic backgrounds or
programs to bring various native people together to create art related to endangered
species.
Native Oceans is recognized as the only international forum for indigenous groups working with
marine conservation issues, and as such is highly valued by Council members who express a
sincere desire to see Native Oceans continue. It was often described as a necessity.
7. What would you or your community like to contribute or add to Native Oceans and
knowledge about the oceans and their conservation?
Most participants expressed their desire to contribute in any way that was helpful, either to
Native Oceans directly or in their home communities. The non-indigenous support people to the
various indigenous groups expressed a willingness to continue to provide the link between the
indigenous groups and Native Oceans. Participants also expressed a desire to share their own
experiences and expertise as a way of supporting others. Areas of expertise or experience
mentioned included: conservation and sea turtle monitoring, monitoring muscle banks,
traditional fishing, the exploitation of resources and how that is connected to our motivations to
conserve (that we conserve so we can exploit), traditional diets and their relation to marine
resources, management of coastal territories, ancestral and traditional rights and protection of
marine resources, protection of mangroves and other plants, coastal indigenous habitats,
cultural values associated with natural marine resources, traditional methods for using natural
resources, youth, conservation and traditional ecological knowledge in the face of the 21st
century.
8. 12. Does your community have reliable internet service and cell phone reception?
Are there computers, printers, cameras, and video equipment in your community?
Responses to this question were varied and area specific. The Seri do not report stable Internet
service and do not have cell reception in their home villages. They have cameras, computers,
video and print equipment. In Zapara, Venezuela, the conditions are very rustic and electricity
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]
either inconsistent or not available; cell reception is limited and there are no other electronic
technologies available. In the home communities of the Traditional Owners, most services are
available, with the exception of video. In the indigenous Nicaraguan communities represented,
there are no services available; for access, they must travel to municipal centers.
9. 13. Does your community have International NGOs or other non-indigenous groups
that undertake conservation issues? Do the community members get a chance to
work on policy for the work the outside group will undertake?
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Venezuela – the University of Zulia and the GTTM-GV use interviews with local
indigenous leaders to determine the needs and priorities of the community and to inform
their action plans. They report that environmental projects are often directed by political
groups that do not take indigenous perspectives or needs into account. Thus, the
GTTM-GV works to leverage resources for the indigenous communities.
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Mexico - The Seri report working relations with the following international organizations:
Ocean Revolution, The Christensen Fund, The Packard Foundation, Northern Arizona
University/Center for Sustainable Environments, Slow Food Foundation, the CDI, or
Comisión para el Desarrollo de los Pueblo indígenas de Mexico, CONANP, or Comisión
Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas, SEMARNAT and PROFEPA.
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Northern Australia - NAILSMA takes an active role in influencing government policy
including representation on numerous national and regional representative bodies and
organizations.
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Nicaragua - The World Conservation Society works with the northern coastal community
in the municipality of Puerto Cabezas. There is a stated need for an organization or
some community body to coordinate and develop a unified community effort.
10. Is there a local community group in your region that works on conservation issues?
Do they have legal standing so they can receive and distribute money?
In two of the regions represented, namely Northern Australia and Palau there are legal groups
dedicated to this work. In all communities, there is recognition of a need to develop a local legal
entity that can receive financial contributions. The communities in Venezuela and Mexico are
working on this issue. The community in Nicaragua has not begun this process.
Even where legal entities already exist there is a desire to learn more about how to build
infrastructure that can receive funds and work with conservation issues within their regions.
15. What other kinds of organizations, movements, or individuals exist in your
community, your country, or in the world that you know of or that you would like to know
more about or to work with on problems of conservation, community or economic
opportunity?
The Seri report the following organizations in their community: Grupo Tortuguero Comcáac,
Proteccion de Aves Migratorias Ziicalc Comcáac, Baluarte de Harina de Mesquite Comcáac,
Acuacultura Indígena Comcáac, Proteccion de Manglares y Ecosistemas Estuari,
Pesca Tradicional Comcáac, Rescate de Valores Culturales, Usos y Costumbres,the new
“Departamento de Recursos Naturales Comcáac” and Conservación de Plantas Medicinales.
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]
They would like to connect with the following organizations: Islas del Golfo, SEMARNAT, CDI,
and IFIP, a dedicated international indigenous organization.
Venezuela would like to see a meeting with members of Native Oceans, Wildcoast, Grupo
Tortuguero, GTTM-GV and the local leaders from the Gulf of Venezuela.
11. Do you have the opportunity to learn English in your community? Do you think that
might be valuable?
All Spanish speakers expressed a desire to learn English as it opens the doorways for
communication with the international community. The two factors that were reported to limit this
possibility are money and the reality that there are no English classes offered in their
communities.
12. Please share anything else you would like us to know.
“Messages from Native Oceans need to respect the diversity of cultural beliefs held by
Indigenous people around the world. For example, in some areas of the world concerns about
declining populations are such that groups have foregone hunting and egg collecting. Other
groups have not and believe local turtle populations are still healthy. Some groups believe that
hunting is a significant part of management responsibilities and is intimately tied to cultural wellbeing.”
“In some forums, such as the recent ISTS, there are strong messages against eating turtle
eggs, suggesting that only stupid people do this or it could make you stupid. Such messages
are potentially offensive to many groups who have long held beliefs and experience that eating
turtle eggs is not only good for you but may also be a question of survival. Native Oceans
needs to be mindful of such issues.”
“For us and for me, the experience with Native Oceans has been wonderful. I sincerely hope
that this alliance is not lost and that together we can make great advances in our efforts to
conserve our environment. Thanks to you, Piñita was able to travel with us and bring his
knowledge out to the world, helping us to realize a common dream of the GTTM-GV.”
“It would be excellent to integrate other groups, institutions of higher education, government
agencies and foundations that work with indigenous peoples and conservation, NGOs from
each country that can support the formation and work of Native Oceans.”
“There are a lot of organizations that are managing money that will be granted to indigenous
peoples at the international level that will be very interested in collaborating with Native Oceans
. . . like IFIP and the World Bank . . .. Let us continue fighting for the survival of Native Oceans.
We need it. Letʼs go, brothers.”
“Donʼt let Native Oceans die. It has to grow. We have to use [it] to unite all of the indigenous
peoples that work with the sea.”
Pacific Region Office • P.O. Box 324 • Davenport, CA • 95017 • 831.426.0337 • [email protected]
Atlantic Region Office • 27 Fieldview Lane • East Hampton, NY • 631.267.6955 • [email protected]