In a first for the US, Indigenous communities have been made co-custodians of a vast new marine reserve off the coast of California.
Covering more than 4,500 square miles, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (pictured) encompasses ecologically important waters off San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Blue whales, leatherback turtles and southern sea otters are among the species found there.
Plans for the sanctuary – the third largest marine reserve in the US – were unveiled at the weekend. It’s a victory for the Chumash Indigenous community, which long campaigned to have the waters protected. “This recognition is a crucial moment for our community,” said Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council.
Though a management strategy for the reserve has yet to be published, conservationists welcomed the park’s creation.
“The sanctuary represents a new era of ocean management shaped through tribal collaborative co-stewardship, where traditional knowledge and practices are woven into federal management processes,” said Arlo Hemphill, a campaign lead for Greenpeace. “This historic measure protects wildlife while safeguarding sacred sites and embracing a model of ocean stewardship that respects the ancestral waters of the Chumash and other tribes.”
Image: NOAA
