What dive professionals know OR local ecological knowledge for the Millennial Generation

Since the 1970s, a growing number of marine scientists and conservationists have been making calls for the increased consideration of local ecological knowledge (LEK) in marine science and policy-making. Gradually, these calls... [ view full abstract ]

Since the 1970s, a growing number of marine scientists and conservationists have been making calls for the increased consideration of local ecological knowledge (LEK) in marine science and policy-making. Gradually, these calls have been heard and those that possess marine LEK have become more integrated in scientific and conservation processes. However, the integration seems to have extended little beyond fishing communities. Local fishing industries tend to have long histories, so it is no surprise that the LEK of fishers and seafood plant workers is that which has most commonly been considered. Yet, we now arrive at a point in history where marine tourism and commercial diving are also mature industries. With many workers in such industries having spent substantial portions of each day for the last couple of decades underwater, it is time to consider their experiential knowledge of changing marine environments in both our assessments of marine health and our marine conservation plans. In this presentation, the LEK of over 60 scuba diving instructors working along Mexico’s Riviera Maya will be presented as a case study of why we should hear the LEK of those beyond the fishing industry. It will be shown that the Mexican divers’ LEK, if considered by local environmental managers, could inform an early warning system of marine pollution events that would contribute to faster environmental clean-up than is possible under existing water quality monitoring programs. The presentation will conclude with guidelines for how you can record, analyse, and disseminate the LEK of dive professionals.