Marine ethnobiology a rather neglected area, which can provide an important contribution to ocean and coastal management

Abstract

This report describes marine ethnobiology as it has been presented and discussed under the conference session “Ethnothalassic interactions” organized for the 13th International Congress of Ethnobiology. We define marine ethnobiology as a field within ethnobiology that specifically comprises the study of the relationships of present and past human societies to marine biota and ecosystems. The session stimulated discussion on this emerging field and its contribution to coastal and ocean management, by exchanging experiences on a diverse array of studies within this field that include: co-management of marine protected areas, seascape management, demise, re-discovery and re-implementation of traditional knowledge-based management schemes, history of artisanal shellfish-farming and of the management of artisanal fisheries, medicinal knowledge of algae, as well as the outreach of ethnobiological studies for the conservation of the cultural-ecological heritage in the coastal zone. We here offer the conclusions of the conference session in the form of a longue duree perspective on coastal management that highlights a broad array of human adaptations to coastal environments. We suggest that these adaptations have to be researched and understood in detail in order to incorporate them into broader coastal management strategies in the presence of the severe environmental and political-economical pressures that currently threaten fishing stocks, marine habitats, and the livelihoods of the 2.6 billion people that depend on the oceans as their main source of protein.