Habitat restoration is a rapidly growing industry within Australia and the world, restoring the ecological functions, economic and social-cultural benefits to communities. With Australia, and much of the world, large areas have been over harvested following colonisation. While many projects rightfully praise the social benefits of habitat restoration, these are still largely (especially in Australia) viewed through a very Western lens. Too often these restoration projects/programs lack proper consideration of First Nations people who have lived on the Sea Country for thousands of generations and whose cultures, generational knowledge, and lifeways have been directly impacted by the holistic loss due to the degradation of these habitats.
Learning from successful restoration projects from abroad can help shape the future of the restoration space within Australia. Giving examples from the US (Washington, Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada (British Columbia),highlighting the positive benefits of these for both the communities and the habitat will highlight the possibilities we have in our own country and promote the need to work with our First Nations communities in the marine habitat restoration space.