The Coral Triangle Initiative in Calatagan

In Calatagan, a small fishing town in the Philippines, thousands of small scale and others are threatened by the environmental protection arrangements of the Coral Triangle Initiative, an international conservation scheme.

Established in 2007, this MPA covers Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste and has a high marine biodiversity, restricting local fishers from fishing in their traditional fishing grounds, and forcing them to travel far distances.

The Federation of Small-scale Fishers in Calatagan, or Samahanng Maliit na Mangigisda ng Calatagan, was established by local fishers in a response to declining fish catches and the encroachment on the near-shore waters by large-scale fishing vessels.

The federation successfully campaigned for the municipal government to declare marine protected areas in three sites, to be managed by the fishers and succeeded in stopping the CTI project in seven coastal villages.

Source: the Federation of Small-scale Fishers of Catalagan, Philippines

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