New Interactive StoryMap Highlights 8 Tribal, Indigenous, and Community-Led Marine Protected Area Campaigns

For years, Tribal and Indigenous communities and other local community leaders have proposed and stewarded conservation actions for our ocean and coasts.

Grounded in science, culture, history, and economics, these actions are broadly supported and can contribute significantly toward an ambitious conservation agenda abroad and at home.

In 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration released the  Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report  with a vision for how to achieve the President’s  commitment  to protect at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, ensure equitable access to nature, and act on climate.

The following Tribal, Indigenous, and community-led proposals provide a unique opportunity to continue addressing the climate crisis and ensure that all people can benefit from an effective, inclusive, and representative system of ocean and coastal protected areas. These historic initiatives can help the Administration deliver on its priorities by the end of 2024.

The resilience of our ocean and the services it provides is dependent upon the health and well-being of the ecosystem and the communities reliant upon it. Advancing these locally-led efforts now will sustain people and communities today and provide for generations that follow.

Click here to explore this new resource, and learn ways you can engage to help support these efforts.