Saipan’s Dr. Steven Johnson wants to protect the ocean

A son of the Marianas visited his home-island of Saipan to share his scholarship on marine protected areas. KUAM News sat down with Dr. Steven Johnson, who is a tenure track faculty member at Cornell University. 

"When I tell people that I study the ocean and I tell them where I am from, it is a no brainer," he shared. "We have a living classroom right here to teach out students about the ocean, so it is almost inescapable."

Johnson, who was born and raised on Saipan, visited his home to share some of his research before retuning to his new role as an Assistant Professor at Cornell University in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. He's one of the first from the Marianas to be a tenure track faculty member at an Ivy League school.

"I am really focused on climate change impacts to the social-ecological systems, particularly in Micronesia and the Mariana Islands," he said.

His work also focuses on marine protected areas. His recent talk on Saipan highlighted recent research in partnership with Friends of the Marianas Trench, where they examined 18 marine protected areas across Guam and the NMI and analyzed the quality of conservation within the region. 

"Even at a small regional scale there is a lot of lessons to be learned and opportunities to be taken advantage of by partnering together, creating a unified voice and vision for  our archipelago," said Johnson.

He says the CNMI alone receives at least $6 million a year for marine resource management. And local efforts paired with a global presence is critical amid a financial crisis and growing supply chain issues.  "I think a big thing is kind of showing our leadership  in a lot of different ways," he said.

He hoped to see more Marianas-based leadership on a global stage. It's part of the reason why he co-founded the non-profit "Tano, Tasi, Yan Todu" bringing together community members, scientists, educators, and activists from the region. 

He said, "I have a lot of privileges now being an assistant professor at an ivy league university but more-so than a privilege  I now have a responsibility to pay back to the community that nurtured and allowed me to achieve such great things."

And he hopes more islanders enter the field with that same confidence.  "Be proud to be from the islands to be a pacific islander and and to come with that first. it is a huge strength," he said.