Sky Aelans: A Community-Led Model of Guardianship for the Future

Climb above 400 meters in the Solomon Islands and the air changes. Clouds drift closer. Trees grow dense with moss, and the ridges carry an unmistakable weight of history. These are the Sky Aelans—sacred highlands that hold ancestral shrines, origin stories, and the cultural identity of the people who live nearby. Protecting them means safeguarding both biodiversity and culture.

But these places are under pressure. Old-growth trees are being cut and sold through illegal logging. Mangroves are stripped. A mining boom pushes into fragile ecosystems, threatening endangered species and lifeways that stretch back generations.

Amid these challenges, local leaders imagined a new path: a tool that could bring cultural values and ecological data together, giving communities more control over their knowledge and more authority in negotiations with outside interests.

Since 2021, Islands Knowledge Institute and Mai Maasina Greenbelt have led the way in shaping Guardian Connector, with funding and visioning support from Nia Tero. Working side by side, Conservation Metrics has provided the technical expertise and design backbone to turn community vision into a working platform.

“Our role is to translate community vision into technology that strengthens their sovereignty, not to impose tools from the outside.” — Rudo Kemper, Director of the Indigenous Guardianship Program, Conservation Metrics

“Conservation Metrics has been critical in providing the backend and technical heavy lifting. A lot of times we just give them our ideas, and Rudo and the CMI Team are able to make them work.” — Edgar Pollard, Senior Fellow, Islands Knowledge Institute

The process is built on listening. Even unconventional requests are met with curiosity and respect. Edgar shares,

“We appreciate the listening that happens. Some of our ideas and requests may be far out there—but we’re able to explore them with Conservation Metrics.”

Guardian Connector is a platform for community knowledge. It enables communities to:

• Own their data: Run Guardian Connector on infrastructure they control, keeping sensitive information secure.
  
• Connect and act: Integrate multiple monitoring tools, receive real-time alerts, and explore data via visual dashboards.
  
• Maintain sustainability: Designed for long-term community use.

“This is a tool coming from the communities, from the ground up. The fact that this is a homegrown tool… gives more trust.”

With authority over their own data, communities can engage with governments and outside actors from a stronger, more equitable position. Rangers now use Guardian Connector to check satellite alerts of illegal logging, collect evidence in the field, and share findings in their own language. Clear, documented reports replace word of mouth, making conservation safer, more effective, and better at protecting both cultural heritage and biodiversity.

Guardian Connector supports long-term guardianship. Communities see opportunities to expand its use to monitor mining and other threats. Just as importantly, it helps ensure younger generations inherit not only healthy forests, but also the species that live within them.

The model resonates beyond the Solomon Islands. Around the world, Indigenous communities face similar pressures. The Sky Aelans story shows what’s possible when technology is co-created with humility and care.

This work is made possible through the collaboration of partners each bringing their unique strengths: Nia Tero provides funding and strategic partnership, Islands Knowledge Institute and Mai Maasina Greenbelt lead with Indigenous knowledge and stewardship, and Conservation Metrics offers technical expertise and guidance to turn community vision into reality.

Together, they show that conservation can be community-led, culturally grounded, and deeply effective. The Sky Aelans story is a reminder: when vision meets respectful collaboration, communities gain the tools to shape their own future.