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A group of indigenous Taiwanese left on Monday to paddle to the Philippines on a hand-built wooden canoe ‌across the Bashi Channel, reviving a maritime route ​dormant for hundreds of ‌years and re-establishing a lost cultural connection.The Tao ‌people of ⁠Taiwan's Orchid ‌Island, sitting in the Pacific Ocean ‌some 50 nautical miles off the southeastern county of Taitung, are ⁠closely related to the indigenous people of the Batanes Islands to the north of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. The 20-seat canoe, named Ovayan or "Golden Friendship," was crafted by builders from six communities on Orchid Island as part of a government-backed project, and the trip will take around ​24 hours with 60 people taking turns to row, rotating in and out of support ships.Maraos, chairperson of Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation ‌and himself an Orchid ⁠Island Tao, said ​the goal was to re-connect the long-forgotten sea route."So ​with this project, we are re-establishing the sea route between Orchid Island and Batanes, allowing our cultures and languages to continue being passed on," said Maraos, who only uses one name.Hsieh Hsiu-hsiung, one of the rowers, said the boat was being accompanied by other vessels for safety reasons."Nowadays we have modern vessels accompanying us and sailing together with us, so we are not afraid," said ‌Hsieh, 61, who is a ‌diving instructor. "In the past, ⁠we don't know what methods our ancestors used; perhaps looking at ⁠the stars and ⁠the moon, to navigate while sailing."The Tao are one of the smaller indigenous groups in Taiwan, with a population of only around 5,000. Less than 3% of Taiwan's 23 million people are from indigenous groups.Orchid Island is a popular tourist destination but ​poor weather and its remoteness often cuts it off from Taiwan. The Bashi Channel is a highly strategic waterway connecting the South China Sea to the Pacific, and Chinese warships frequently patrol the area."We hope that this voyage can be respected by all countries," Maraos said. "Most importantly, we do not want to be harassed by warships from other countries or vessels from ‌other countries while we ​are at sea." 

Lagos warns rising seas pose significant climate threat to coastal areasEnvironmentalists blame government projects for worsening coastal erosion in LagosCommonwealth's 'Living Lands Charter' criticised for lacking enforcement mechanisms One morning in June, an ocean surge swept through the village of Apakin, one of Lagos' last indigenous coastal communities, washing away fishing boats, nets and graves. It was only the latest event in the settlement of roughly 3,000 people that is losing homes and livelihoods to rising seas.Despite pledges of support from Commonwealth leaders, worsening ocean surges have left the centuries-old community feeling powerless, with residents fearing their ancestral land could soon be lost to the sea, according to local chief Abimbola Iyowun."We only have two graves left from my father's lineage."We've been trying to move them, but we haven't found the place to move them to," Iyowun said, pointing into the ocean where his house and that of his father once stood.About 80% of the Lagos shoreline has been washed away in the past five decades, according to a 2022 report in the Journal of African Earth Sciences. The study blamed deepwater ports along the Bight of Benin as the main reason for erosion.Lagos has more than a dozen coastal communities battling ocean surges, but Apakin's residents say they're among the worst hit. On land once known for coconut farming, a final 50-metre stretch of trees vanished four years ago.Iyowun said the building he used as a palace when he was appointed the village head three years ago had also gone.Lagos State says rising seas pose the biggest long-term climate threat, but environmentalist Philip Jakpor argues that government-backed projects like the massive Dangote oil refinery and deep sea ports are equally damaging to coastal communities."A lot of dredging is happening, which is pushing water in the direction of communities, swallowing communities," said Jakpor.Meanwhile Nigerian activist Akinbode Oluwafemi pointed out that the 'Living Lands Charter' adopted by leaders at the 2022 Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda, was non-binding, unenforced and failing to deliver a concrete plan to protect coastal communities."The Kigali Declaration acknowledges human factors that will worsen climate change. However, it did not expressly adopt any clear resolution in terms of bringing corporations that are causing climate change into accountability," he said.