The (amazing) Fisheries Officer I worked with in Puerto Galera this year has just passed her Open Water Scuba Diver Course!
I am so chuffed for her! It’s the first step in her plan to start a collaborative Reef Check monitoring in the area!
It’s a pioneering step for her to take. She told the local government that if she, and other fisheries officers in her Province are supposed to protect the marine environment, and the waters of Puerto Galera have been named the marine biodiversity capitol of the world, they should be able to see and connect what they are working with.
Such a simple concept, and yet so tragically lacking in this country. A friend of mine, Anna Oposa, who lobbies for better environmental protection in the Philippines has said this before - how can we expect our government to want to save the coral reefs if most of them haven’t even seen them?
Well, Grace Peliño, previously a social worker who taught herself all there is to know about coastal marine ecosystems, has picked up the baton, gotten the ball rolling, and all off her own back. No inspiration needed.
Me and Grace kicking it on the way to organize an education campaign for over 200 fishermen on “Caring for Coasts, because they care for us” through the Green Fins initiative.
Instead she is my inspiration, and I hope to many many other (fisheries officers) as well.
After all, no corals reefs, no mangroves, no sea grass….no fish!
Notes
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