Rare’s people-centered, participatory approach to conservation empowers local leaders and elevates the role of fishers, farmers, and other people who depend on nature in local decision-making and governance. This community-led approach is buoyed by partnerships with officials at all levels of government—from mayors to ministers—and with public and private institutions, universities and other organizations capable of removing barriers and paving the way for enduring solutions. Its program Forever Fish is a community-led solution to revitalize our oceans and the coastal communities that depend on them.
Fish Forever works with communities and governments on four continents to:
– Establish managed access areas that provide fishing communities clear rights to fish in certain areas
– Create networks of fully-protected and community-led no-take marine reserves to replenish and sustain fish populations and protect critical habitat
– Build community engagement and effective management bodies to support local decision-making
– Enable fishers to adopt more sustainable and better-regulated fishing behaviors (e.g., become a registered fisher; record fish catch; respect fishing regulations; and participate in fisheries management)
– Collect, disseminate and help fishing communities use data for decision-making
– Advance coastal fishing communities’ inclusion in financial and market opportunities to increase household resilience
– Mobilize public and private investment in coastal fisheries and marine natural resources
– Enact policy to promote and sustain a community-based management approach