Ask. Don’t Tell.

Two years ago, Sulistyaningrum and nine other conservationists in Indonesia and Timor-Leste partnered with Rare to learn social marketing tools and systems to lead change in their communities. In early May, the ten fellows celebrated the completion of Rare’s two-year training and implementation program. All ten Pride campaigns built a sense of ownership around fishery management. Though each fellow confronted different hurdles and achieved a range of successes, they all managed to inspire fishing-dependent villages to take pride in their marine resources. Continue reading

Chocolate clams, dolphin pods and sustainable fishing

ayana4

The plan is to leverage Rare’s expertise with Pride campaigns for sustainable management of small-scale fishing by combining Pride campaigns with no-fishing reserves, and with establishment of property rights for local fishers over their local fishing grounds. Continue reading

Securing the Future of Filipino Fishers

Rare fellow Marybeth Rita leads a meeting with fishers.

Marybeth and the mayor were working together not just to enact 24/7 volunteer guarding at the marine protected area (MPA), but to start a critically important program to register fishermen. Continue reading

We are all connected by the ocean

Rock Islands of Palau

Pioneering island conservation at 11 sites in Micronesia               The mystical seascape of Micronesia connects more than 600 islands across one million square miles of the western Pacific Ocean. Roughly 150,000 people live on … Continue reading

Illegal fishing vessel violates marine protected area boundaries, community unites to take action

Note: This blog post originated on RarePlanet, our online community inspiring conservation. It was written by Rare Conservation Fellow Taufiq Hidayat and translated. Locals gather for a heated meeting to discuss MPA violations Earlier this month, a purse seine vessel owned by … Continue reading

Coral reefs are hotspots for biodiversity but they face many threats (Q&A)

“If we lose the Coral Triangle, we lose the most marine biodiversity the world has to offer.” Mike Henley, is an animal keeper and aquarist at the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Invertebrate Exhibit.  As a keeper for the last five years, … Continue reading

Notes from a rare planet: Reserves alone cannot stop biodiversity collapse

Reserves alone cannot stop biodiversity collapse (Earth Times) Scientists are finding reserves are not enough to avoid the sixth mass extinction. We need to consume less and control population more. Our current reserve rates are two low (6 percent of … Continue reading

Helping fellows craft campaign songs, logos, posters and messages to educate people on sustainable fishing

Note: This is Rare’s Senior Vice President of Global Programs Paul Butler’s third blog post in a series about his recent trip to the Philippines and Indonesia to monitor Rare’s conservation work in the field. You can find his first post … Continue reading

Support visits are an integral part of every Rare Pride campaign

Note: This is Rare’s Senior Vice President of Global Programs Paul Butler’s first blog post in a series about his recent trip to Indonesia to monitor Rare’s conservation work in the field. Every Rare Conservation Fellow can expect to be … Continue reading