Fish wardens in northern Palawan continue to crack down on poachers in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) we helped create in 2008, showing that while illegal fishing continues, local patrols can be an effective force in thwarting it. (Apprehended poachers are brought before the El Nido Environment Council for “arraignment and deposition.”)

According to our field representative in the Philippines, a warden recently managed to catch poachers in the act by dressing in women’s clothes, tricking the fishermen into thinking no patrols were nearby.

We did our part to help wardens protect the MPA by providing funds to build a guardhouse and purchase patrol boats and other equipment. And to generate support for the project among locals, we also provided funds for shelling and roasting machinery for their fledgling cashew farming industry.

Full project info here.