Project Results

Together with the people of Ulithi, we successfully documented how indigenous storytelling communicates best practices for reef management on Ulithi Atoll. Through a series of interviews we captured voices emphasizing the need to document and understand traditional practices (most of which is preserved in stories) in order to support it with western scientific data. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfruhp9vOg8tjVfLebAhM3FBP4oqIDVPS

About This Project

Coral reef ecosystems are in need of conservation solutions. Indigenous adaptive management, supported by western science, can build capacity for resource management. We aim to demonstrate how indigenous storytelling can communicate best practices for coral reef management on Ulithi Atoll, Yap State, FSM. Feelings about and understanding of marine stewardship practices will be assessed before and after engaging with audio, video and written materials.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

On Ulithi Atoll there is growing concern for the loss of traditional resource management knowledge. Islanders helped create OPOR for support to revitalize & validate traditional practices rather than rely on (solely) western management plans. This collaboration with outer island communities resulted in a Best Practices Manual which outlines successful restoration of management practices, has led to enhanced fish biomass, and a deeper connection to traditional practice, including connection between youth and elders. Our goal now is to share this knowledge broadly by incorporating content from the Best Practices Manual into audio and video outputs that are accessible by a diverse group of local stakeholders who serve to protect coral reefs and their people who rely on and steward them.

What is the significance of this project?

Communities of the outer islands of FSM rely on the ecological resilience of coral reefs for food security & coastal protection. However, some reefs are struggling to provide sufficient resources, & communities are becoming increasingly reliant on imported foods. As a result, human health has declined drastically, leading to increasing societal disruption. The global COVID-19 Pandemic has amplified concerns among outer islanders for their food security & well-being. We envision the integration of indigenous knowledge & management practices with modern science & technology into a coral reef management multimedia kit based on the culmination of >10 years of partnerships, collaborative community meetings, successful cultural & ecosystem restoration efforts, & empowering youth programs.

What are the goals of the project?

This project will evaluate the affective & cognitive influence of audiovisual indigenous storytelling to describe best practices in coral reef conservation in Ulithi Atoll that will preserve cultural cohesion & ecosystem wellbeing in the face of global social & environmental change. We will co-develop 4 audiobooks & 4 videos & a best practices manual highlighting traditional management practices supported by western scientific data. Before & after distribution, we will evaluate understanding of each theme through user data in the form of answers to engagement surveys about (affective) feeling towards traditional management systems, state of the resource, & the future & (cognitive) to what extent these media convey issues surrounding reef health & management strategies to address them.