ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter sets the stage, providing a general background to the topic of the book by describing the intimate link that coastal indigenous peoples have with traditionally used marine space and marine resources, as well as the multifaceted challenges that such peoples face. It also outlines the aims of the book, describes the positioning of the book from a theoretical and methodological perspective, and finally, sets out the structure of the book to offer the readers a roadmap going forward. Indigenous peoples can be understood as culturally distinct peoples who are ‘the living descendants of pre-invasion inhabitants of lands now dominated by others’. MLRs sustain indigenous peoples’ subsistence both in a nutritional and economic sense. Coastal indigenous peoples’ connection with marine areas and resources plays an important role in maintaining the material basis of indigenous peoples’ social identity, cultural survival, and spiritual life.
