Editor’s Note

Conservation efforts that don’t involve indigenous peoples and local communities are doomed to fail. In this year’s marine issue, we bring to you stories of human-centered and locally-led marine conservation initiatives from around the world. Whether it’s creating a national network of small-scale fishers in Madagascar or co-designing voluntary conservation programmes with artisanal fishing communities in Chile, people lie at the heart of these strategies. Even while zooming out to the global level of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we can and should keep sight of the local. Naturally, this brings into focus the importance of leadership at all levels—individual, team, and system—for conservation impact. Next, we dive underwater for a look at coral reefs. Our first stop is Maldives, where tourism is driving unregulated reef fishing in this archipelago, which has sustainably fished skipjack tuna for nearly a millennium. Up north in the Indian archipelago of Lakshadweep, scientists discover that the shapes and behaviour of herbivorous fish can affect the recovery of wave-battered coral reefs. Finally, marvel at the diversity of colours and forms in a collection of striking fish portraits from tropical reefs.
— Devathi Parashuram

We are delighted to announce a partnership with the Society for Conservation Biology, the world’s largest professional organisation dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity. CC and SCB aim to work together to connect scientists and society through stories of research and action from the conservation community combined with CC’s signature illustrations.
— Kartik Shanker