Achieve Ocean Equity and Justice for Coastal Communities

If you were a doctor treating a compound fracture, you wouldn’t just focus on stitching the patient up. Combatting a complex problem requires an intricate solution– and addressing the declining health of our ocean is no exception. The scientifically imagined Rebuilding Marine Life Roadmap’s six recovery wedges introduce a multifaceted approach to rewilding our ocean, which is why we use it to guide our climate action.

However, along the road to rebuilding healthy marine ecosystems, there are those already facing a disproportionate impact from our changing climate. As we focus on implementing interventions, we must ensure we do not leave vulnerable groups behind. With this in mind, we affixed our own unique seventh wedge: we must achieve ocean equity and justice for coastal communities.

We view every campaign we engage in through this lens, alongside the other wedges the action may fall under. As we work to help fragile marine ecosystems and species thrive, we are committed to achieving equity and justice among coastal communities. On the frontlines of our planet’s rising tides, ocean acidification, overfishing, increasing pollution, and stronger and more frequent storms, coastal communities’ struggles compound among their nearby marine ecosystems. Although they experience these complications first and disproportionately more so than other groups, they are often left out of conservation conversations. Many of these communities have cared for and nurtured their home’s natural space for generations. Their input provides unparalleled perspective. Protecting and restoring our ocean can only be achieved if every one of us is empowered to participate in solutions. We advocate for their inclusion and amplify their viewpoint through our storytelling– knowing that diverse voices only strengthen a multilateral approach to saving our ocean.