Steven Mana‘oakamai Johnson
Assistant Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment

Dr. Steven Mana‘oakamai Johnson (he/him/‘oia) is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) human-environment geographer, born and raised on the island of Saipan, located in Micronesia. His research questions are informed by his heritage and upbringing, focusing on the impacts that conservation and conservation have on coastal communities, primarily in the Pacific Islands. He uses social, environmental, and climate data to develop equitable and cooperative solutions for coastal communities. This work is a direct practice of his kuleana (responsibility) to use his knowledge and skills to improve the social and environmental spaces he is a part of.
Education
- Ph.D. in Geography, 2021. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
- M.S. in Biology, 2017. University of Guam Marine Laboratory, Mangilao, GU
- B.S. in Biology, 2010. Barry University, Miami Shores, FL
Recent Research
Human-environment geography; conservation; ocean studies; coral reefs; social-ecological systems; climate justice; environmental justice; indigenous knowledge; Oceania-Pacific Islands
- Selected Publications:
- Nguyen, K.H., A. K. Akiona, C.C. Chang, V.B. Chaudhary, S.J. Cheng, S.M. Johnson, S.S. Kahanamoku, A. Lee, E.E. de Leon Sanchez, L.M. Segui, and R.L. Tanner (2022). Who are we? Highlighting Nuances in Asian American Experiences in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Bull Ecol Soc Am 103(1):e01939.
- Johnson, S.M., and Watson, J.R. (2021). Novel environmental conditions due to climate change in the world's largest marine protected areas. One Earth 4(11):1625-1634.
- Johnson, S.M., Reyuw, B.M., Yalon, A., Mclean, M., and Houk, P. (2020). Contextualizing the social-ecological outcomes of coral reef fisheries management. Biological Conservation 241:108288.
- Sullivan-Stack, J., Ahmadia, G. N., Andradi-Brown, D. A., Barron, A., Brooks, C. M., Claudet, J., Horta e Costa, B., Estradivari, Field, L. C., Giakoumi, S., Gonçalves, E., Groulx, N., Harris, J., Jessen, S., Johnson, S. M., MacCarthy, J. M. C., Maricato, G., Morgan, L., Nalven, K. B.,…Grorud-Colvert, K. (2024). Assessments of expected MPA outcomes can inform and improve biodiversity conservation: Case studies using The MPA Guide. Marine Policy, 170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106364
- Villagomez, A., & Johnson, S. M. (2024). Disavowing the Doctrine of Discovery: Indigenous Healing, Decolonization, and Implications for Environmental Justice in the Pacific Remote Islands Area. Environmental Justice. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2023.0048
- Spalding, A. K., Grorud-Colvert, K., Allison, E. H., Amon, D. J., Collin, R., de Vos, A., Friedlander, A. M., Johnson, S. M., Mayorga, J., Paris, C. B., Scott, C., Suman, D. O., Cisneros-Montemayor, A. M., Estradivari, Giron-Nava, A., Gurney, G. G., Harris, J. M., Hicks, C., Mangubhai, S.,…Thurber, R. V. (2023). Engaging the tropical majority to make ocean governance and science more equitable and effective. npj Ocean Sustainability, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-023-00015-9
- Kassam, K.-A. S., Charles, M. T., & Johnson, S. M. (2023). Significance of different ways of knowing in responding to the climate crisis: The necessity for Indigenous knowledge. PLOS Climate, 2(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000237
Courses Taught
Contact Information
Fernow Hall 102
Ithaca, NY 14853
steven.johnson [at] cornell.edu
Steven in the news

News
Fellows will spend the year developing a community-engaged course, project or publication, while also joining a network of scholars committed to advancing the university’s public engagement mission.
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- School of Integrative Plant Science
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section

Spotlight
- American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program
- Natural Resources and the Environment
- Development Sociology