Marilyn Gede has spent the last six decades surrounded by the South Pacific, but she had never seen the wonders of what lay underwater. She lives in a community that is responsible for managing the Arnavon Islands, the Solomon Island’s first national park. These four tiny islands are biodiversity hotspots, home to vibrant coral reefs and the largest hawksbill sea turtle rookery in the South Pacific. But until recently, Marilyn and many women like her were largely excluded from decisions about how the islands were researched and managed.

Over the last few decades international scientists have travelled to the Arnavons to study sea turtle migration and coral reef ecology, yet local women, like Marilyn, were not involved. They were rarely able to share their knowledge, had never snorkelled on a coral reef, seen a turtle lay her eggs or witnessed hatchlings emerge from nests on the islands their communities were protecting.