Tide Together: Coastal communities, local champions of ocean sustainability

A CANARI Blog from the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3)

CANARI Senior Technical Officers, Dylis McDonald and Melanie Andrews-Bacchus, were excited to be part of a small cohort of Caribbean representatives at this year’s United Nations Ocean Conference, held in Nice, France from June 9–13, 2025. The Conference brought together global ocean leaders, practitioners and enthusiasts, including government ministers, civil society advocates, scientists, and technocrats, under the theme: “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”

As part of the Conference, CANARI was pleased to have the opportunity to convene a side event titled “Tide Together: Coastal Communities – Local Champions of Ocean Sustainability.”

The event spotlighted the critical role of coastal communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in advancing ocean stewardship and the sustainable use of marine resources. Through a rich panel discussion featuring voices from the Caribbean, Pacific, and Western Indian Ocean regions, the session showcased how civil society organisations are supporting local action and explored the types of support coastal communities need to sustain and scale their efforts.

The regions were represented by the following panelists:

• Joshua Rambahiniarison, Senior Scientist, Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO), East Africa
• Leneka Terika Scott, Caribbean Regional Coordinator; High Seas Alliance
• Sepesa Rasili, Board Member, Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental organisations (PIANGO)
• Melanie Andrews-Bacchus, Senior Technical Officer, CANARI

Here are EIGHT key takeaways from the side event.

1. Coastal communities are navigating overlapping crises.
   Rising seas, coastal erosion, stronger storms, pollution, and overfishing are hitting coastal communities hard. These challenges are compounded by weak enforcement of protections and exclusion from decision-making, putting pressure on already strained livelihoods.
2. Small-scale fisheries are under threat.
   Across many regions, small-scale fisherfolk – often the backbone of coastal economies – are facing declining stocks and limited market access. Young people are migrating away due to lack of opportunities, leaving a heavy burden on communities that continue to act as stewards of the ocean with minimal support.
3. Development must shift from projects to partnerships.
   Communities are not just beneficiaries; they are leaders in ocean governance. True support means co-developing solutions, investing in local capacity, embedding leadership in policy, and ensuring access to long-term, flexible funding.
4. Community-led initiatives are proving what works.
   From co-managed fisheries in the Caribbean to locally managed marine areas in the Pacific, successful initiatives are grounded in local knowledge, built on trust, and deliver tangible benefits for communities.
5. Tools are only powerful when co-designed and accessible.
   Innovative technologies like participatory mapping and youth storytelling platforms can enhance community action, but they must be designed with communities, not for them. What matters most is usability, empowerment, and ownership.
6. Trust is the foundation for lasting impact.
   Trust-based partnerships, built through presence, transparency, and accountability, are essential. Donors and development actors must commit to long-term engagement, honest conversations, and shared ownership of outcomes.
7. The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) must centre local voices.
   While the new high seas treaty is a major milestone, panelists emphasised that coastal and Indigenous communities must be actively included in decisions under the BBNJ framework, given their deep connection to ocean health.
8. A call for structural change.
   To truly empower community-led ocean governance, panelists called for institutional reforms: long-term financing, embedded local leadership, investment in youth, and cross-sectoral collaboration rooted in shared values.

Final reflections

“Tide Together” was more than a conversation, it was a call to action. Coastal communities in SIDS are already innovating, adapting, and leading. What they need is not more top-down solutions, but real support to continue and expand what they’re already doing, on their terms.

Coastal communities are not just stakeholders – they are rights holders, resource managers, and agents of change. This session aimed to go beyond acknowledging their value and dig into how institutions, governments, and partners can better support and sustain their leadership.

As the global ocean community charts its course forward, let’s make sure that leadership from the shorelines is not the exception, but the norm. The future of our oceans depends on it!

 

Check out these two CANARI projects to learn more about how we’re supporting coastal communities in the Caribbean:

• The Caribbean Blue Tourism Initiative
• Advancing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries for Resilient Caribbean Coastal Communities and Livelihoods