The sole finalist from Southeast Asia in this year’s Earthshot Prize, the Coastal 500 network hopes to “revive our oceans” through inclusive locally-led solutions that balance sustainable fisheries with the protection of fisherfolks’ welfare.
Despite being among the country’s most productive sectors – the Philippines is Southeast Asia’s fourth most productive fishery – the nation’s small-scale fisherfolk are rarely afforded a platform when it comes to policymaking, even though they make up 80 per cent of the fishing industry.
The Philippines’ two million fisherfolk remain among the country’s poorest workers, their livelihood heavily reliant on the health of our oceans and susceptible to the 20-plus typhoons that batter the archipelago’s coastlines every year.
Acknowledging the role of grassroots stakeholders and local government leaders when it comes to affecting change for the Philippines’ most vulnerable fishing communities, the Coastal 500 network was established by conservation non-profit Rare in 2021, under its Fish Forever programme.
Envisioned as the largest global network of mayors and decision-makers advocating for the welfare of fisherfolk and the protection of the world’s oceans, Coastal 500 now spans eight developing countries with 164 members, all of whom have pledged “to support healthy and sustainable fishing communities.”
Advocating for inclusion and locally-led solutions, Rocky Sanchez Tirona, programme lead of Coastal 500 and Fish Forever, shares that the initiative is grounded in the mission of “transforming the lives of the people who call coasts home.”
Through Coastal 500, the organisation facilitates technical support for its signatories and members, as well as peer-to-peer learning and the sharing of best practices when it comes to the protection of marine resources and the prioritisation of community-based fisheries management.
The network hopes to represent small-scale fisherfolk affected by the extremes of climate change, working to influence government and industry stakeholders to bat for sustainable fisheries that build community prosperity while also safeguarding the environment.
Coastal 500 has been named one of the finalists of the 2023 Earthshot Prize under its “Revive Our Oceans” category. It is the sole finalist from Southeast Asia.