Natural History Wanderings

The Guardian  reports on a proposed marine sanctuary

Viewed by the Chumash people as their ancestral home, the Native American tribe is behind the first Indigenous-led initiative to protect the ocean and repair its damaged ecosystem.

The Chumash people viewed the Pacific Ocean as their first home. Their territory once spanned 7,000 sq miles, from the rolling hills of Paso Robles to the white sand beaches of Malibu. Now, the region is one of the most expensive in the US, home to resort hotels, vineyards and multimillion-dollar mansions.

Blue whales, along with southern sea otters, black abalone, snowy plovers and leatherback sea turtles, are just some of the species at risk here. The California coast is experiencing climate breakdown at twice the rate of other parts of the ocean, and acidification, caused by pollution, is the main threat to marine life.

If successful, it would be the first tribally nominated, tribally led sanctuary on the US mainland. The proposed site will be a co-management initiative between the Chumash, other local tribal groups and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(Noaa).

Read moe ‘Six times the size of Yosemite’: the new tribal sanctuary off the super-rich California coast | Native Americans | The Guardian