The oceans are diverse. Their champions should be too.

This personal reflection is part of a series called Turning points, in which writers explore what critical moments from this year could mean for the year ahead. You can read more by visiting the Turning Points series page.

Turning point: In June, the United Nations adopted the Treaty on the High Seas, putting an end to it procedures conserving and sustainably managing the two-thirds of the world’s oceans that lie beyond national borders.

I am a South Asian woman of color living and working as a marine conservationist in the Global South. I also belong to the tropical majority – the 1.59 billion ocean-dependent people who live in low- to middle-income countries in the tropics.

Because of my background, I have encountered numerous and unnecessary challenges in having my capabilities recognized and a seat at the decision-making table regarding marine conservation – despite having graduated from top universities, conducting groundbreaking research on the ocean and its residents and winning local and global recognition for my efforts.

I know that the opportunities I have had and continue to have pale in comparison to those of my counterparts from the Global North, while the prejudices I have faced and continue to face are many times greater.

The assumptions that come with being a person of color from the Global South – that we lack the knowledge, know-how and interest to participate in marine conservation, for example – have historically been reasons to exclude people like me from participating in efforts to change the future trajectory of our ocean. But it is precisely our background and our local involvement that makes us crucial to this process.

The world endured its hottest summer on record this year – on land and in the water. In mid-July, the average daily sea surface temperature reached a record high of 20.96 degrees Celsius, while an extraordinary temperature of 20.96 degrees Celsius was reached. Waters off the coast of Florida recorded 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) – more than 2 degrees above typical seasonal highs. Many areas experienced marine heat waves: imagine the incredibly intense heat of a forest fire, but underwater.

We are at a crucial turning point in the history of our relationship with the ocean. We know more about it than ever before, and we also know that without significant changes, the future, and ours, looks bleak.

On our planet today, we have the human capacity to make the necessary changes before it is too late. What’s holding us back? A clear lack of equality and inclusivity in marine conservation.

My career started when I discovered that the population of blue whales around my home island of Sri Lanka lived their entire lives in the warm tropics. This behavior was different from other populations of blue whales, which migrate annually between feeding grounds in cold water and breeding and calving grounds in warm water.

When I asked for support to set up a long-term project to research these whales, experts from the Global North scrambled to enlist their teams to do the research. Their decision was based on the assumption that I, a local person from the global south, could not set up a study in my backyard.

Twenty years later, my research has changed our understanding of the role tropical ecosystems play in the lives of the largest animal to ever roam our planet, and revealed the most significant threat to this unique population: ship attacks.

Marine conservation has long been an exclusive space due to the high cost of participation, the need for specialized infrastructure and the South’s lagging technical capacity, partly caused by decades of parachute science built on seizing opportunities rather than creating them. Outside researchers would invade countries like mine, conduct research and leave without investing in the local population or infrastructure.

This process results in unfair partnerships that take advantage of local and indigenous peoples without recognition or credit. It perpetuates false assumptions about the capacity of local teams and often hinders local conservation efforts. Research projects are driven by the beliefs, motives, and personal needs of outsiders, which inevitably leads to unfavorable power dynamics between those on the outside and those on the ground.

Of course, inequitable, non-inclusive, and non-diverse teams of scientists dropped into the Global South have expanded exploration, science, and conservation in the past. But we now know that their actions also created a bottleneck to progress and a false perception that a handful can save the whole.

Expanding access to the ocean would matter less if the ocean had no impact on our existence. But it does. Plants in the ocean produce every second breath we take; half of our available oxygen comes from them. The ocean absorbs excess heat – mainly generated by our actions – and retains it. As the world’s largest carbon sink, it protects us from the worst effects of climate change. Healthy oceans provide employment for more than 3 billion people, and millions of people worldwide rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood as an important source of animal protein. The oceans are also a crucial link in the supply chain; almost everything we own is shipped worldwide through their waters. And these are just the direct benefits.

From my experience, it is clear that we must give everyone a fair opportunity to engage, explore and work in the oceans if we want to create positive, sustainable change.

To do this, we sought out funders who recognize the importance of locally led projects and then built partnerships around listening, empowering and uplifting local and indigenous people who live and breathe the challenges of their piece of the ocean. These efforts allow researchers like me to gain trust and work quickly, even in the most complex situations. By designing projects that address local priorities and accepting that these do not always reflect or align with global challenges, we can tailor contextually appropriate solutions.

Building equal partnerships around the world has built and improved local technical capacity and skills, which are only useful when combined with local wisdom, priorities and context. Providing opportunities to connect with the ocean, either in real life or indirectly through social media, has increased access to the ocean for many in the global south who do not have the privilege of using these waters in ways that spark joy and wonder. Investing in ocean literacy to increase understanding and appreciation of the oceans has enabled us to transform our communities from ocean-fearing to ocean-curious.

Despite the lines we see on maps, our ocean is one big pool of water. It is our common heritage. Our technical knowledge and ability to innovate will not get us far in conserving this vital resource if we do not make a conscious effort to be inclusive and equitable.

Most of the world’s coastlines are in the Global South – where talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. Success in ocean conservation will only be possible if we recognize that protecting the world’s largest ecosystem requires the world’s largest team.

Asha de Vos is a marine biologist, ocean educator and founder of Oceanenwella research and education organization for marine conservation in Sri Lanka.