Kalinago Chief Anette Sanford has credited years of community-based environmental work and advocacy for Indigenous rights as the key factors behind her selection as the recipient of the 2026 Seacology Award. In an interview with News Editor Richie Ferrol, she said the recognition highlights the contribution Indigenous peoples make to conservation.
The Seacology Award is a prestigious international honour that recognises individuals and communities working to protect island ecosystems and the cultures that depend on them. For Chief Sanford, the award reflects the long-term commitment of the Kalinago people to caring for the land and sea around them, rather than a single project or initiative. It is a recognition that looks at the sustained effort of a community over many years, and not only at a result achieved in one season.
Speaking about the honour, Chief Sanford stressed that Indigenous knowledge and stewardship have a central place in environmental protection. She pointed to the role of the Kalinago Territory, the only Indigenous territory in the Caribbean where the Kalinago people continue to live, in shaping practices that balance community needs with the protection of natural resources. In her view, the people who have lived on the land for generations carry knowledge about its rhythms, its waters and its wildlife that is essential to any lasting conservation effort.
Her advocacy for Indigenous rights, which she has pursued alongside her community work, was also cited as part of the basis for the selection. Chief Sanford said that recognition of Indigenous contributions to conservation strengthens the case for including Indigenous communities as partners in decisions about land, forests and coastal areas. She argued that Indigenous voices should not be treated as an afterthought in planning, but as a core part of how decisions affecting the environment are made.
The interview with Dominica News Online also touched on what the award means for the Kalinago people as a whole. Chief Sanford described the honour as a reminder that Indigenous communities have a meaningful part to play in the wider conversation about protecting the planet. She suggested that the recognition may encourage younger members of the Territory to take an active role in conservation and in the defence of their heritage.
The award places Dominica in the spotlight as a Nature Isle that values its heritage and environment, and it draws attention to the Kalinago people as guardians of traditional knowledge. Chief Sanford's comments underline a message that the Kalinago community sees conservation and cultural identity as closely connected, and that protecting one cannot be separated from protecting the other.
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