Chagos Archipelago is a territory of Mauritius
Decolonizing governance of ocean resources in the Chagos Archipelago About 1,000 miles south of the Indian subcontinent, over a thousand people are hoping to return to their home located in the Chagos Archipelago. In 1810, Chagos became an outlying territory of Mauritius, an island nation 1,300 miles southwest of the archipelago, when Britain captured Mauritius from France. Mauritius gained independence from British colonial rule in 1968, yet the sovereignty of Chagos has remained disputed. From 1968 to 1973, the British forcibly removed Chagossians from their homeland. Now, the Zoological Society of London and government officials from Mauritius are negotiating a marine resource management plan for Chagos as a first step to repatriation. Invited by the Ambassador of Mauritius to the United Nations, Krish Seetah, associate professor of oceans, of environmental social sciences, and of anthropology, will lead a working group focused on incorporating cultural knowledge and traditions into a new marine protected area. Professor of oceans and of Earth system science Rob Dunbar, who is also the W. M. Keck Professor, will support scientific exploration of the archipelago’s marine biodiversity. [...] Krish Seetah (Oceans, Environmental Social Sciences, Anthropology): Lead Principal Investigator (Banner image of Chagos Archipelago courtesy of Rob Dunbar)