About us

Our Research

Our research weaves ecological, archaeological, and Indigenous knowledge with the latest scientific tools, to reveal coupled social-ecological relationships that underpin our oceans’ resilience, productivity, and biodiversity.

Our Approach

We link science to decision-making by co-designing, co-producing, and co-delivering research with Indigenous knowledge holders, resource users, and governments. Our collaborative approach brings Indigenous and western knowledge systems into conversation to democratize ocean science and ocean governance.

By weaving diverse sources of knowledge, we illuminate novel social-ecological relationships operating on scales of space and time that are impossible to study otherwise.

For over half a century, the default mode of scientific enquiry in ecology and conservation science was premised on the perception of people as external disruptors of an otherwise pristine nature. As a result, most approaches to management have ignored coupled social-ecological relationships and have failed to halt, let alone reverse, environmental decline and social inequities among our coastal ocean communities.

We are among a growing body of researchers to disrupt this premise, reveal the dynamics of linked social-ecological systems, and demonstrate the importance of this approach in supporting resilient and respectful coastal ocean relationships. This represents a fundamental shift in our fields’ models of nature and modes of science.

Our Name

Words matter. We carefully chose our name to represent who we are and the values we share.

Anne Salomon
Principal Investigator

“I am passionate about evidence-based decision making, collaborating with coastal communities, and weaving diverse threads of knowledge together because by doing so, I firmly believe we can vastly improve our understanding of the natural world and better inform, inspire and catalyze solutions to the foremost environmental challenges facing our oceans today.” (Dr. Anne Salomon, 2019).