indigenous graduate research projects    

Each Year Ocean Revolution supports graduate and undergraduate student tuition and research in marine biology and coastal management at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique and University of Sonora in Mexico. This year Manuela Amone assisted by Mozambique’s second woman divemaster (Kudzi Guicome) is making a historic first study of seagrass beds in Inhambane Bay, Mozambique

supporting traditional knowledge

Ocean Revolution works with Indigenous Communities to support projects, provide funding skills, facilitate knowledge-transfer, and create international networks capable of influencing local, regional and global action; bringing recognition to these communities, helping to assuring justice, and providing a framework for responsible economic development. 

A major Leatherback nesting area was recently discovered in Armila, Panama, home of Kuna Indians who have been protecting these leatherbacks for hundreds of years. The communities of Armila and Yandup (a significant Hawksbill nesting area), over 9 hours apart by boat, are struggling to spread prohibitions on the possession of turtle to all of Panama. They are demanding a return to their traditional turtle protections to rebuild populations decimated by years of outsider’s demands for turtle products for medicinal and consumptive purposes. In 2010 the Kuna, supported by Ocean Revolution declared their territory a protected area and held the first Panama Sea Turtle Festival

This film was made by Romelia and Eunice Barnett. Led by the Comcáac Environmental Monitoring team, young members of the Comcáac tribe in Sonora Mexico have begun a project of monitoring and restoring the mangroves which are the nursery for their traditional fisheries. They collect "orphan seedling" (ones that have become displaced and dislocated by human impact, storms, and other natural events. They raise them to a survivable size in discarded plastic bottles and then plant them in areas that have been damaged by human and natural causes. This not only restores the "nursery" area. Mangroves are a major "carbon sink" for excess C02 generated by the burning of fossil fuels.

A revolution is going on in Tofo, Mozambique. In the past two years the  first 21 Mozambican divers ever to have reached the professional levels of instructors and divemasters along the East African Coast have formed Bitonga Divers. They have become the boldest defenders of healthy oceans, sustainable utilization of marine resources, and strong economies. Listen to Rodrigues Temoteo talk about his transformation from a sea hunter to a champion of species protection