A. Moore/© AMNH Coastal wetlands are among the most valuable and threatened ecosystems across the globe. Given their declining status, significant effort has been devoted to their conservation and restoration. However, conservation practices that aim to protect these ecosystems often fail to consider local values, knowledge systems, and needs (altogether known as ‘biocultural values’), an oversight which can cause conflict and impact conservation outcomes.
This project aims to address a biocultural knowledge gap by understanding the social and cultural values associated with mangrove ecosystems in American Samoa. We are working with partners in American Samoa communities to build local capacity and engage with them on the various values and indigenous knowledge associated with coastal mangrove ecosystems on the main island of Tutuila.
The CBC's research on mangrove biocultural knowledge in American Samoa is led by CBC Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Alex Moore, and is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation.