Special issue information: 
Increasing work has been done in recent times across the humanities and social sciences to rediscover the importance of local knowledge. At the same time, key legal and policy developments notably regarding the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Agreement on conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) have stressed the importance of science-informed approaches and of embedding local coastal communities and indigenous peoples in decision-making frameworks about biodiversity, environmental sustainability and ocean governance. This special issue takes an interdisciplinary approach (with the editorial team from law, philosophy and chemistry), exploring local, regional, national and international frameworks, lived experiences and challenges. It aims to combine policy and scholarly perspectives towards achieving fairer and more equitable ocean policies for coastal communities and publics at large.