Our aquatic territories of life—from the ocean to the rivers and lakes—taken care of by Indigenous and traditional communities
Aquatic territories of life
TANZANIA
Lake Natron: A territory of life in northern Tanzania conserved by the Maasai of Engaresero
Key Resources
Latest
Rights of Artisanal Fishers and Fishworkers in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a long way to go to uphold human rights and rights of fishers and fishworkers. In Bangladesh, customary tenure rights are not legally recognized; access exists as an “opportunity” or “privilege” for artisanal fishers and fishworkers, not as a protected right. Furthermore, traditional community-led governance and management of fisheries are not legally recognized. Read more ▸
Kampung Dagat: A Tidung fishing community in Borneo revitalizing adat and protecting rivers, wetlands, and forests
This case study examines how Kampung Dagat has navigated intersecting pressures and how
its experience illuminates both the possibilities and the limits of community-led conservation
and self-determined development in Sabah Read more ▸
Etoubili and boalôo: Community biocultural mapping reveals historical occupation and enables defense of African rainforests
Words from Serge Ekazama Koto, Massaha’s paraecologist and spokesperson. Read more ▸
The Calamian Tagbanwa reclaim and revitalize ancestral waters in the Philippines
As a maritime Indigenous People, custodians and guardians of their ancestral waters in the Western Pacific—the Tagbanwa People of the Calamian Islands are navigating complex legal issues in the Philippines to reclaim, govern, and manage their ancestral domains. Read more ▸
ICCA Consortium Statement for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference
As the 2025 UNOC convenes in Nice, France, from June 8 to 13 under the theme “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean,” we put forward this statement and reiterate that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have an outsized role in governance, conservation, and sustainable use of our oceans. Read more ▸
Ocean Commitment: Documentation of marine and coastal ICCAs–territories of life
As an international association promoting the appropriate recognition and support for territories of life worldwide, we are committed to collectively supporting and facilitating, led by communities and supporting organizations at local and national levels, the documentation of an increasing number of marine and coastal territories of life over the next five years. Read more ▸
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