Empowering Indigenous Ocean Stewardship through Earth Observation enabled scientific knowledge

EIOS-EO is an ESA funded scoping study that aims to enable indigenous and local community use of Earth Observation (EO) to complement traditional knowledge of the ocean environment.

The project is being delivered in a partnership with the Future Earth Ocean Knowledge-Action Network (OceanKAN), and the Kōrero ō te’Ōrau, an Indigenous conservation and science organisation based in the Cook Islands. Together, the team will explore the scope and pathways through which EO capabilities can be used to support the scientific understanding and ocean information needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at the community level.

The findings and recommendations will be published as a contribution to worldwide dialogue and activities aimed at empowering indigenous communities living in Large Ocean States, with relevance more widely in supporting all coastal communities to become active in the transition towards sustainable stewardship of the ocean.