Conservation group's reef management in Yap merges science and local wisdom

By Jayvee Vallejera

For many island communities, the phrase “marine protected area” raises an immediate question: protected from whom?

In Ulithi Atoll, where families have stewarded reefs for generations, the nonprofit group One People One Reef prefers to use the term “marine respected areas,” in which marine conservation is grounded in local cultural values and wisdom, with Western ideas playing a supporting role.

OPOR's work in Ulithi and Rull in Yap, one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, highlights its collaborative nature, combining indigenous practices and modern scientific ideas in ocean conservation.

Speaking at an online community meeting last week, OPOR executive director Nicole Crane said the group got started with the father of one of its officers inviting her to go to Ulithi in July 2009.

“OPOR has always worked only with communities that invite us in to work there. We don't select places to go, then decide they need help and go there. We wait until people are interested in the work and invite us there,” said Crane, OPOR’s senior conservation scientist. 

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At that time, the father of executive director Magul-John Rulmal Jr. was part of the group running the Ulithi Marine Turtle Program, which monitored green sea turtles in Gielob and Yar. These areas are stewarded by clans on Falalop in the Ulithi Atoll, the world's fourth-largest lagoon.

The site has the largest green sea turtle nesting site in the entire Micronesian region.

Rulmal said his father wanted help with expanding ocean conservation beyond turtles to the whole ecosystem.

From there, OPOR just grew organically. Its core philosophy centers on the idea that traditional knowledge and Western science are coupled systems that must be woven together.

Rulmal said typical top-down conservation approaches often include drastic measures, such as closing off fishing areas and cutting off the residents' access to food sources. 

“Protected area” implies locking people out, which causes distress among island communities that depend on the ocean for sustenance, Rulmal said.

In Ulithi, Crane said the conservation area was so large that she recognized the need for other experts to help understand it scientifically and ecologically. She invited other experts to join. They consulted with the local leadership on how they could help.

Rulmal described Crane’s approach as a “breath of fresh air."

He quoted her as saying, “I'm not here to tell you what to do. I don't know these reefs. I will help you read the reefs and make recommendations or let you know what it's doing, and you can make a decision on what you want to do with it.”

“That statement at a community meeting for me in 2012, I remember, was the game-changer. That was a new approach. You actually care what we think,” Rulmal said.

Rulmal said the term “marine respected area” is a direct translation of community relationship to resources.

“Maybe there are other Indigenous groups that have used that," he speculated, referring to the phrase "marine respected area,” which he added, appeals to philanthropic donors when viewed from a cultural lens.

This has resulted in Ulithi’s entire atoll being fully managed by family clans—a first in the region. That means ocean stewardship based entirely on tradition, with no Western policing. 

“It’s natural traditional management, which means only certain boats are allowed access to certain areas based on clan access,” Rulmal said.

Each corner of a “marine respected area” is stewarded by a specific family lineage, with rights and stewardship responsibilities passed down through generations. 

Ulithi families control access but don’t necessarily exclude others. 

To limit the mass extraction of resources, local communities practice "resource reciprocity," in which fishing families trade with farming families that grow taro and breadfruit.

OPOR’s approach to marine conservation aligns more with what is typically referred to as a "locally managed marine area" rather than with the Western concept of a "marine protected area," while adopting the term "marine respected area" to bridge donor expectations and cultural framing.

OPOR, a nonprofit based in Santa Cruz, California, comprises a small, globally dispersed team and has worked with the FSM national and state governments and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

It is currently active only in Yap, but hopes to expand its capacity in the future.

Its latest work involved about three weeks of fieldwork in Rull, where 19 focus groups comprising clan chiefs, elders, fishermen, women and youth mapped out a vision to bolster the resilience of Rull’s coral reefs.

The fieldwork revealed that youth in Rull do not view tradition as outdated. They want to keep traditions alive while embracing modern opportunities.

To broaden its reach, OPOR is developing new partnerships with the Kiwa Initiative, The Nature Conservancy and UNESCO, while continuing to work with Revive and Restore and other existing partners. 

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