Centering Equity in Ocean Governance

What does equity look like in ocean governance? In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Sebastian Duque Rios speaks with Yoshitaka Ota of Ocean Nexus and Randall Abate, ELI Visiting Scholar, about the emerging concept of ocean equity—and why centering social justice is essential to the future of marine conservation and ocean law.

From marine protected areas and small-scale fisheries to deep sea mining, marine geoengineering, and the rights of nature movement, the conversation explores how traditional environmental governance frameworks have often failed to address systemic marginalization in coastal and Indigenous communities. Drawing on anti-subordination theory, environmental justice, and human rights law, the guests explain how ocean equity moves beyond consultation toward meaningful power-sharing—including rethinking free, prior, and informed consent, stewardship-based resource management, and the intersection of human rights and marine conservation. For environmental lawyers, policymakers, and ocean governance professionals, this episode offers a forward-looking framework for aligning conservation, climate action, and justice.

• What is ocean equity? (04:08)
• From EJ to anti-subordination (09:37)
• Consent, power, and meaningful participation (16:05)
• Stewardship and MPAs (21:56)
• Rights of nature and the human right to a healthy environment (29:54)
• Emerging governance challenges and the future of ocean law (33:37)