Pacific island nations risk repeating colonial mistakes in ocean planning
A study of Fiji's marine spatial planning reveals that Indigenous coastal communities have minimal awareness of or trust in the process, despite global commitments to include them. The finding exposes a critical gap in ocean governance across the Pacific, where excluding local stakeholders could undermine both sustainability goals and the legitimacy of resource management decisions.
Originaltitel: Making marine spatial planning fit for coastal indigenous communities: A Fijian case study
Marint områdesplanering (MSP) växer globalt men når inte ursprungsbefolkningarnas perspektiv i Stilla havet. En studie från Linköpings universitet och Fiji-universitetet avslöjar att Fijis MSP-process visar låg medvetenhet bland kuststäder med inhemsk (iTaukei) befolkning, begränsad tillit och minimal deltagande. Genom enkäter och fokusgruppsdiskussioner identifierade forskarna att interna maktskillnader inom gemenskaperna riskerar att reproducera uteslutning även under beteckningen "inhemsk deltagande". Studien föreslår att ursprungsbefolkningarnas världssyn, kunskap och praktiker kan förstärka MSP genom gemensamt kunskapsskapande. Omvänt kan MSP ge samhällen större inflytande över förvaltning och anslutning till större styrsystem. För energiinvesterare och klimatplanerare är slutsatsen viktig: hållbar havsresursförvaltning kräver lokala praxisgemenskaper med betrodda mellanmän för att överbrygga kunskapsklyftor och bygga samförvaltningskapacitet innan storskaliga projektImplementeras.
<p>Marine spatial planning (MSP) is gaining momentum globally, driven by the need to sustainably use marine resources and protect biodiversity amid growing environmental pressures and competing ocean uses. Yet, the potential of MSP to catalyze transformative change in ocean governance within the small Pacific Islands, particularly among the large Indigenous coastal communities, remains the subject of considerable debate. This study uses surveys and focus group discussions to investigate how the MSP process in Fiji aligns with the perspectives of Indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) coastal communities. Despite global recognition of the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge in MSP and ocean governance, our findings reveal limited community awareness, low levels of trust, and minimal participation. Intra-community dynamics within Indigenous Fijian coastal communities, including disparities in leadership influence and representation, further risk reproducing exclusion under the guise of Indigenous participation. Our study concludes that MSP and Indigenous peoples can mutually influence each other in ways that are potentially transformative. Indigenous worldviews, knowledge, and practices can inform more inclusive, culturally grounded MSP through processes of knowledge co-creation, while MSP offers avenues for communities to strengthen agency, co-management capacity, and engagement with broader governance systems. We recommend establishing localized communities of practice, supported by trusted intermediaries, as a context-appropriate mechanism to bridge epistemological divides, foster co-creation, strengthen social capital, and advance socially just and resilient ocean governance.</p>