Nobodyz Trash - Indigenous Marine Debris Network
Ms. Chels Marshall, Prof. Steve Smith, Ms. Kai Henifin, Ms. Jyl Wheaton, Mr. Tim Exley
Plastic pollution is an ethical problem, one that denies indigenous people worldwide the right to cultures based on a clean environment. Proliferation of marine plastic pollution disproportionately threatens indigenous peoples health and their environment due to a lack of infrastructure to deal with debris, an erosion of traditional lifeways and cultural sustainance, and a reliance on the world's oceans as an economic and food resource. Current world governance is not based on a cohesive, sustaining worldview, but one based on short term adjustments to invented technologies. This project proposes to identify traditional cultural values based on a worldview and long continuing ecological cyclic processes to address plastic marine pollution.
The "Nobody's Trash" Indigenous Marine Debris Network is an initiative of the Gumma IPA, a protected area under the Australian Governments Indigenous Protected Areas Program. The Gumma IPA sits within the southern section of the Gumbaynggirr Nation. The Totem of all Gumbaynggirr people is the ocean -- Garrgal, It is our life force. The Gumma IPA along with our primary partners (Conservation Biology Institute United States and Bag-a-surf Japan, Dolphin Research Australia, National Marine Science Centre Australia, Southern Cross University Australia,) aim to contribute and to provide genuine input and management for the ocean.
The Nobody's Trash initiative is focused on providing a program that promotes initiatives and self-expression within Indigenous communities. The main focus is on costal communities within the Pacific looking at themselves and their livelihood and future. Education and engagement are necessary to raise community awareness about rubbish in marine environment and institute management plans to adequately remove and mitigate future pollution in both urban and remote areas. This project will seek input using the theme "The Ocean as a Receptacle of Rubbish and a Repository of Food" (H.F. Moore 1917) from indigenous communities based on the level of resources, understanding and knowledge shared to identify values and perspective about marine debris to develop unique ways to maximize involvement and derived new opportunities through action.