Joe Vakatale

Joe Vakatale is the Indigenous Knowledge Lead at the Fiji LMMA Network, where he coordinates community-based reef monitoring across more than 80 Fijian villages. A traditional fisher himself, he combines TEK with marine science to inform local management plans.

He has co-authored 12 peer-reviewed papers on community conservation and trained 200+ village monitors in standardised reef survey methods. In 2023 he received the PIELA Community Action award.

At PIC11 he will lead the workshop on "Indigenous-led conservation: case studies" with peers from Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands.