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Search results for “marine protected area”
Your search for marine protected area returned 182 results
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Community Outreach in the Beqa-Yanuca…
A key component of the United Nations Endorsed Project Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics is outreach and community engagement. During the joint outreach and fieldwork campaign with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) and Pacific Blue Foundation (PBF), four villages were visited in the Beqa-Yanuca Seascape. Community engagement and outreach are both important cultural practices for the Chief’s blessing and permission to work on the reef surrounding the villages, but they are also important for visiting scientists to gain valuable local knowledge about the nearshore ecosystem. The final component of the outreach program was to teach several local community members the survey methods for collecting coral reef transect data.
The lagoon is surrounded by several villages, each with its own unique character and traditions. The KSLOF and PBF team worked with four of these communities: Naisomo, Raviravi, Rukua, and Yunuca. The most important first step for community engagement in the Fijian islands is meeting with the head Chief and other community elders to receive permission to work in the waters near to their village. The meeting is called a sevu sevu. The sevu sevu must be done before any work in the water or on shore is started. It is considered extremely disrespectful if this cultural practice is not followed by outside visitors.
During the meeting with the Chief and his advisors, it is customary to partake in a ceremonial drink called kava. It is traditionally prepared by pounding sun-dried kava root into a fine powder, straining it, and mixing it with cold water in a large bowl called a tanoa. Tanoas are carved out of a native hardwood and often have designs to reflect the history of the village. The kava mixture is then poured and drunk out of a bilo, which are small cups carved from coconuts. As the kava is shared amongst the villagers and visitors, the Chief asks what the purpose of the visit is and how it will benefit the community.
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/community-outreach-in-the-beqa-yanuca-seascape/
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The Lau Seascape Initiative (LSI) is a program that focuses on the conservation and protection of marine ecosystem resources in the Lau region of Fiji. With multiple stresses such as climate change and overharvesting of coastal fisheries, the Indigenous peoples of Lau, in conjunction with the NGO Conservation International, have joined together to create a roadmap for protecting Lau’s biodiversity and ecosystems while in tandem with promoting sustainable development solutions for the local stakeholders.
One of the goals of this program was to bring together scientists, traditional leaders, government officials, and the people of Lau for the LSI Planning Retreat. The retreat took place in early March of this year in Suva, Fiji’s capital city. I was asked by Conservation International to speak to the LSI group about past work conducted in Lau by The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) as well our future work with our in-country conservation partner the Pacific Blue Foundation. The title of my presentation Reefs of Lau Province: Past, Present, and Future, explains local, regional, and global context for status of the Lau reefs and what new technologies and methods KSLOF is helping refine for sustainable coral reef management…
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/lau-seascape-initiative/
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Science Without Borders: Our Approach to…
Earlier this month, H.R.H. Princess Hala bint Khaled bin Sultan spoke about the importance of conducting science for sustainable development at the Third Foundations Dialogue Meeting in Monaco.
Hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation on behalf of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, this high-level event brought philanthropic organizations from around the world together in an effort to align our efforts in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, known as the “Ocean Decade.” Together, we are helping the Ocean Decade attain ‘the science we need for the ocean we want.’
As the President of the Living Oceans Foundation, Princess Hala spoke eloquently about her own journey into marine conservation and the Foundation’s work to preserve healthy oceans for current and future generations. She also highlighted the value of embracing a philosophy of co-design — working with community members as equal partners when developing science-based solutions for ocean conservation. In her speech, she called upon the global marine philanthropic community to work together and reach across borders to find solutions that can lead to a healthier ocean for all.
See what she said in her speech from the opening session, which was attended by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco, and Mrs Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, along with many other esteemed guests:
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/science-without-borders-our-approach-to-co-design/
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Safeguarding the unique biodiversity of the…
Bula! My name is Ulamila Matairakula and I am the Environmental Officer for the Pacific Blue Foundation (PBF). My work largely revolves around the Beqa Lagoon Seascape with interacting with local communities and villages about their marine resources. Being a Fijian …
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/safeguarding-the-unique-biodiversity-of-the-beqa-lagoon-for-future-generations/
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The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) has returned to Fiji! We’re here to help our partners at the Pacific Blue Foundation (PBF) survey reefs in Beqa Lagoon and share our findings from the Global Reef Expedition with traditional leaders and …
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/bula-from-fiji/
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Measuring reef health from space
With compelling evidence that we have lost half of the world’s tropical coral reefs over the last few decades, there is an urgent need to understand their overall health. Without this basic information to use as a baseline, it is near impossible to mount a response to the so-called global reef crisis. The most straightforward method we have for monitoring reefs is conducting SCUBA diver surveys. However, this type of field work is logistically and financially challenging to execute on large scales, so developing a new method to monitor reefs remotely is key.
In attempt to find a solution, Anna Bakker combines the fields of remote sensing, computer science, and ecology to measure reef health from space. Recently, Anna published a paper in Coral Reefs, which utilized the Living Oceans Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition field dataset to build a model that can predict coral cover and other metrics of coral reef health using open-source satellite data.
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/measuring-reef-health-from-space/
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Global Coral Reefs - Crisis Expedition…
In Ocean Geographic Magazine by Sheree Marris Published in the July, 2022 issue Over half a billion people rely upon coral reefs for their for their livelihoods, food and culture. The health of entire economies and communities are built around …
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/publication/global-coral-reefs-crisis-expedition-assessment/
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Findings from the World’s Largest Coral…
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is sharing its findings from the Global Reef Expedition (GRE) at the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) this week in Bremen, Germany. This international coral reef conference brings together experts in coral reef …
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/findings-from-the-worlds-largest-coral-reef-expedition-showcased-at-international-coral-reef-conference/
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Findings from the World’s Largest Coral…
The Living Oceans Foundation is sharing its findings from the Global Reef Expedition at the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Bremen, Germany.
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/publication/findings-from-the-worlds-largest-coral-reef-expedition-showcased-at-international-coral-reef-conference/
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Students Beautifully Illustrate a…
Published inSevenSeas Magazine June 2022 Issue The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of their annual student art competition, the Science Without Borders® Challenge. Now in its tenth year, this international contest engages students in ocean …
www.livingoceansfoundation.org/publication/students-beautifully-illustrate-a-ridge-to-reef-approach-to-coral-reef-conservation-2/