Draft:Marine Conservation without Borders

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Tacapel (talk) 19:43, 8 April 2025 (UTC)

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Marine Conservation without Borders

Marine Conservation without Borders (MCB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to integrating Indigenous ecological knowledge with Western science to develop bilingual educational materials for marine and environmental conservation. The organization collaborates with Indigenous communities worldwide to promote scientific literacy, environmental stewardship, and biocultural diversity preservation..

History

MCB was founded to address the need for culturally relevant environmental education that acknowledges and incorporates traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). By working directly with Indigenous communities, MCB develops educational resources that facilitate knowledge exchange between scientific research and traditional conservation practices. In 2017, MCB published its first interdisciplinary educational material focusing on mangrove ecosystems, which has since been ethnotranslated and adapted for multiple seafaring linguistic communities, including those in the Yucatán Peninsula, Puerto Limón (Costa Rica), Bonaire, Cameroon, La Guajira (Colombia), Haiti, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Mission and Goals

MCB aims to:

• Promote environmental education through bilingual and culturally relevant curricula.
• Support Indigenous and local communities in preserving their traditional ecological knowledge.
• Foster collaboration between Indigenous experts and Western scientists.
• Develop educational tools that enhance awareness and conservation of marine ecosystems.
• Ensure educational materials are applicable across entire ecoregions to serve multiple linguistic communities.

Programs and Initiatives

MCB has developed several initiatives to achieve its conservation and educational goals, including:

1. Treasures of the Caribbean Series

MCB produces bilingual educational materials that blend Indigenous ecological knowledge with contemporary marine science. These resources are available in multiple languages, including Maya, Garifuna, and Kriol, among others.

2. Marine Science Education for Indigenous Communities

The organization works with Indigenous educators and researchers to create conservation-focused curricula, such as a middle school science program on sea turtles in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

MCB is actively collaborating with Servicios Educativos de Quintana Roo (SEQ) and the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (UIMQROO) to develop a third Mayan biolinguistic corpus for Indigenous primary schools.

3. Indigenous Language Preservation and Knowledge Integration

MCB contributes to language revitalization efforts by incorporating Indigenous languages into conservation science resources, supporting the ongoing preservation of traditional knowledge.

Hilario Poot Cahun, a distinguished Maya linguist and educator, has been instrumental in these efforts, ensuring that the linguistic integrity and cultural relevance of MCB's materials are preserved.

4. Collaborative Research and Knowledge Exchange

MCB partners with universities, conservation groups, and Indigenous organizations to facilitate the exchange of scientific knowledge and traditional ecological insights.

5. Free Digital Library

MCB provides a free digital library containing bilingual and Indigenous language conservation resources, making scientific and traditional ecological knowledge accessible to a wider audience.

6. Project Documentation through Mayan Videographer

MCB is documenting its projects through the lens of Mayan videographer Pedro Angel Poot Cahum. These videos are maintained on MCB's YouTube Channel and archived at the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA) to preserve and share Indigenous perspectives on marine conservation.

Publications and Contributions

MCB’s educational materials and research have been archived at institutions such as the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA) and Kaipuleohone, the University of Hawai'i Digital Language Archive. These publications serve as valuable resources for educators, researchers, and community members interested in marine conservation and traditional ecological knowledge

To date, MCB has produced and implemented two Mayan-language educational books in Indigenous primary schools selected by SEQ, contributing to the revitalization of the language among children and fostering environmental education.

Leadership

MCB’s Principal Investigator, Robert C. "Robby" Thigpen, has played a key role in developing the organization’s conservation and educational strategies. His interdisciplinary background in anthropology, marine biology, and conservation science has contributed to MCB’s approach to integrating Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge. Thigpen has led this process using a participatory approach, prioritizing dialogue and collaboration with Indigenous communities. His methods ensure that the materials developed by MCB protect biocultural diversity across entire ecoregions, making them effective for every linguistic community within a given ecoregion. Thigpen has emphasized that:

"Everyone should have access to a science education in their mother tongue."

Hilario Poot Cahun has played a significant role in guiding the linguistic and cultural adaptations of MCB’s materials, ensuring accessibility for Maya-speaking communities.

Partnerships and Collaborations

MCB collaborates with various organizations, including:

• Servicios Educativos de Quintana Roo (SEQ)
• Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (UIMQROO)
• Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA)
• University of Hawai'i Digital Language Archive
• Marine Conservation Organizations
• Indigenous-led Conservation Groups

Impact and Recognition

Through its initiatives, MCB has provided Indigenous communities with access to high-quality, bilingual educational materials that support both cultural preservation and environmental sustainability. The organization’s work has been recognized for its role in promoting biocultural conservation and fostering collaboration between Indigenous knowledge holders and scientific researchers. MCB is actively seeking funding to expand its projects and further develop conservation education resources for additional linguistic communities.

See Also

• Indigenous Ecological Knowledge
• Marine Conservation
• Bilingual Education
• Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)