Reduce Overfishing in the Coral Triangle

The Coral Triangle cohort consists of 22 sites across Indonesia and the Philippines, and each Rare Conservation Fellow is focusing on a single site in order to better respect the local context in which the fishermen are operating.  As the Fellows finish up their 11^th week of training, they are applying the theory of change to their individual communities in order to identify and fight the specific causes of overfishing.  They are becoming familiar with past techniques that have been successful in encouraging behavior change and removing the economic and cultural barriers to making sustainable fishing possible.  In addition, their education focuses on the day-to-day requirements of running a campaign and on local causes of damage to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).  As a part of their training, they are beginning to develop the foundations of an outreach campaign to build community awareness and support of these MPAs.  By doing so, the Fellows will promote these sustainable protected fishing areas that, in turn, will provide the fishermen with a sustainable livelihood and preserve biological diversity.  Once they conclude their training in a few weeks time, the Pride Program Managers will launch their outreach campaigns at all 22 sites, beginning the efforts to impact an estimated 700,000 people and 4.5 million hectares of ocean and to establish a lasting network of local leaders who can support even broader conservation efforts.