Just Accepted

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Reconciling blue spaces: Evaluating social equity & justice in state-led Indigenous marine development programs

Jillian Conrad , Laura Griffiths, Natalie Osborne, James Smart, Chris Frid

Abstract

Government-led Indigenous marine development programs aim to deliver socially equitable outcomes, yet these principles are not always embedded in their design. Evaluating the extent to which equity is prioritized is crucial for respecting Indigenous rights, interests, and advancing reconciliation. This study introduces the Blue Peacebuilding Scorecard (BPS), a novel quantitative tool to assess social equity integration in marine-based Indigenous programs across Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. New Zealand emerged as a leader in equity and justice, Canadian programs displayed varied performance, and Australian programs ranked moderately overall. Justice was a consistently strong category across all nine programs, indicating explicit consideration in program design internationally. Areas such as legacy, access, and finance showed moderate performance globally, highlighting opportunities for improvement. To enhance social equity and advance Indigenous rights within national blue economy development, emphasis should be placed on impact assessment, data sharing, and recognizing data ownership as critical pathways for progress. The BPS can be adapted to provide localised insights, fostering reconciliation, and collaboration. By facilitating co-learning and reducing both stakeholder conflict and fatigue, the use of this practical tool can lead to enhanced program effectiveness and improved relationships. Keywords: Indigenous, environmental management, social equity, environmental justice, marine planning, ocean governance, ocean policy, blue economy

MF24180  Accepted 18 May 2025

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