Environmental injustices, social inequities, and human rights issues are ubiquitous in the ocean. Ocean governance refers to the system of institutions, processes, and norms that shape management, conservation, and development practices in the marine environment. In this talk, I will first explore research on various equity, justice, and human rights issues occurring in marine and coastal environments - as a result of global environmental changes and local environmental hazards, exclusionary and unfair fisheries management, poorly implemented marine conservation, and the unchecked growth of the ocean economy. Then, I will examine how ocean governance processes at various scales from local to global can contribute to addressing these issues. To do so, I will draw on several empirical and applied research initiatives - including a multi-year project focused on addressing social equity in marine conservation, several efforts exploring ocean equity in the blue economy, a collaborative initiative on human rights and ocean defenders, and emerging work on just transformations in fisheries.

Finally, I will reflect on my role as a practitioner-researcher working in this space - and the potential for partnerships between universities and conservation organizations to help solve pressing socio-environmental problems.