A Philippine community that once ate giant clams now works to protect them

Scientists and environmentalists are working to keep several fish species native to the Colorado River basin from going extinct. Through interventions like fish hatcheries and wetland management, some fish numbers like the ponytail and razorback sucker have rebounded. They’re now looking toward implementing their success at other parts of the river system.

A COVID-19-spurred shutdown has halted ecotourism to Siete Pecados, a marine protected area in the Philippines. As a result, many residents have turned to fishing as a way to supplement their income. To make sure this is done with the environment in mind, local residents are stepping up to help tourism workers, ensure the area stays protected, and prevent overfishing of endangered species.

A new species of bird discovered in the small village of Singchung, India has been named after the Indigenous people who own that land — the bird is called Bugun liocichla, named after the Bugun people. Not only did this put the village in the international spotlight, it also brought tourism that helped them develop an ecotourism business. Now the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is in charge of the community reserve which is now the most effectively patrolled area under the sanctuary's purview.

The Hā'ena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (co-managed by a local Native Hawaiian nonprofit and the state) uses traditional fishing rules to restrict over-extraction along a mile of Kauaʻi's nearshore waters. Early scientific surveys and community testimony suggest fish populations, species diversity, and biomass are recovering after a decade of implementation.

In Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where 54 percent of the world's mountain gorillas reside, NGOs and locals are combining efforts to stem human-gorilla conflict. By funneling tourism dollars into community development projects, conflict resolution, and disease control, conservation goals and development goals are starting to align.

Adapting to climate change in coastal areas means adjusting local fishing and cultivation practices. Residents of Velondriake, a locally managed marine area in southern Madagascar, have introduced seaweed and algae farming as an alternative to fishing. With the help of Blue Ventures, an NGO based in the UK, and the University of Toliara, residents are monitoring their ecosystem and finding new markets for their harvests.

Local fisheries have been struggling to keep up with major manufacturers. Sustainable fishing practices have been countering that by creating Niche markets.

Women in central India are being recruited and professionally trained as wildlife safari guides and naturalists. Government hiring initiatives and Pugdundee Safaris' ProNat program have provided rural women with stable, well-paying careers while improving the safari experience for tourists and increasing conservation compliance in tiger reserves.

Lobster is a crucial economic resource in New England, but entanglements with the fishing line from lobster traps are a major cause of death for endangered North Atlantic right whales. Scientists and lobstermen are testing ropeless, on-demand gear that minimizes the risk for whales and allows fishing to continue in areas that would otherwise be closed for months as the whales pass through.

Seeking to protect the endangered vaquita, a charity in San Felipe, Mexico, is encouraging fishers who poach totoaba, another endangered species, to swap their gillnets for cimbra. The hook-and-line style fishing equipment allows them to target totoaba that are worth more, meaning they can catch less while making the same or more income and keep other species out of the often harmful nets.