Guardianship for Generations

"We do not own the ocean — we belong to it."

We inherit the ocean from our ancestors, and we hold it in trust for our descendants. In the Melanesian Ocean Reserve, guardianship is not a project or a policy — it is a way of life.

The Reserve protects sacred sites, ancestral fishing grounds, and biodiversity. It revives traditional navigation routes and sustains the customs that connect People and place.

PHOTO: Oro Bay Isle, New Caledonia

While it is globally significant in scale, its real distinction lies in how it redefines ocean governance-centering Indigenous leadership, traditional knowledge, and a collective commitment to a regenerative marine future.