August 2020
Surrounded by clean, cold waters and snow-capped mountains, Koldita is one of many small islands in the Chiloé Archipelago, off central Chile. The area is home to Mapuche-Huilliche people, whose culture developed over centuries on these islands. The indigenous residents have long been stewards of both the marine and island ecosystems, and have relied on […]
August 2020
The Dominican Republic is home to some 64,000 acres of mangrove forests, which protect coastal communities from violent storms and ensure healthy fisheries. Legally, most of these wetlands are protected, but the reality is very different. Inadequate enforcement, unsustainable development, and overfishing have caused a devastating decline in mangrove cover. Our project will work from […]
July 2020
For new Seacology board member Sonia Toledo, Seacology’s focus on islands is personal. Toledo grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to the mainland US for college. She now lives in New York but maintains a close connection to her home island. She also brings valuable expertise in infrastructure financing and sustainable development to Seacology’s […]
July 2020
We’re excited to announce that Seacology and our Sri Lankan partner organization, Sudeesa, have been named recipients of a 2020 National Energy Globe Award! This annual prize is awarded to a single environmental project in each participating country. In Sri Lanka, our nationwide mangrove conservation project was chosen for its innovative, sustainable, grassroots approach to […]
July 2020
Australia’s Aboriginal people are one of the world’s oldest civilizations, if not the oldest, stretching back tens of thousands of years. A new Seacology project is supporting Aboriginal stewardship of the ecosystems of Big Dog Island, which has continued uninterrupted for an estimated 10,000 years. Big Dog Island is one of more than 300 islands […]
July 2020
Author and dive instructor Vera Kruithof’s new book, Be a Wave Maker, profiles 24 exemplary individuals working to protect the world’s oceans and all of the life within them. Among these leaders is Patricia Lamelas, our 2018 Seacology Prize winner from the Dominican Republic! “Patricia empowers her community with a sense of responsibility towards the […]
July 2020
For centuries, the people of Mandalamekar Village, on the Indonesian island of Java, have used the area’s abundant bamboo plants to make everything from baskets to buildings. But selling bamboo never brought much income to village residents, who had to look for other ways to make a living. Community members are changing that, with support […]
July 2020
The Andes mountains, the Amazon rainforest, a rugged coastline: Peru has it all. About 80% of the planet’s ecosystems can be found in South American’s third-largest country. Its unique geography contributes to enormous biodiversity and productivity, both in and on its islands. Peru’s coastal waters are special because two ocean currents come together there. The […]
June 2020
Harvard University’s Planetary Health Alliance has just released 10 case studies exploring the intersection of human well-being and the climate crisis and other environmental threats. Among them is our recently completed Sri Lanka Mangrove Conservation Project! Following a series of interviews with project leaders and stakeholders, the group produced an in-depth examination of the five-year […]
June 2020
Our ten newest projects focus on protecting carbon-sequestering, shoreline-sheltering mangroves and seagrass ecosystems. These new conservation partnerships, which span nine countries, include our first project in Wales and our first in a decade in Samoa. As international tourism remains largely shut down worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these projects also support local […]