The role of coastal indigenous communities in circular economy practices
The role of coastal indigenous communities in circular economy practices
Author: L Nqunqa
ISSN: 2521-5442
Affiliations: South African International Maritime Institute
Source: Journal of Ocean Law and Governance in Africa, 2025, p. 204 – 230
https://doi.org/10.47348/JOGA/2025/a7
Abstract
Circular Economy (CE) is now seen as transformative approach to addressing environmental and economic challenges. While most of the attention is placed on industrial and large-scale operations, coastal indigenous communities have been upholding circularity for decades through indigenous knowledge systems that emphasise environmental stewardship and regeneration resources. This paper explores the role of coastal indigenous communities in circular economy practices. A great emphasis is placed on the importance of traditional knowledge in sustainable management of resources. The paper highlights the longstanding integration of circular economy principles within indigenous livelihoods and explores how the modern circular economy can benefit from these practices. The paper adopts a qualitative approach to identify key themes such as ocean pollution, policy frameworks, economic growth and the potential of recognising indigenous knowledge CE perspectives into sustainability strategies. The key findings of the paper lay out the importance of policy support in recognising indigenous knowledge contributions and the necessity for a bottom-up approach in implementation.