Community-Based Whale Shark Ecotourism and Conservation in Saleh Bay, Indonesia

Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), Malaysia’s largest multiple-use marine protected area (MPA), faces challenges in restoring and monitoring degraded coral reefs due to its remote location and limited technical capacity. Through the Coral Restoration Project, Sabah Parks and WWF-Malaysia partnered with coastal communities, equipping them with the skills to co-lead coral reef restoration and monitoring. Community members were trained in reef restoration techniques, maintenance of project site, ecological monitoring, and data analysis through the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS). Through continuous mentoring and hands-on experience, they progressed from restoration volunteers to citizen scientists, reef builders, trainers, and conservation leaders. Today, these communities independently manage restoration sites, secure external funding, educate visitors, and support the replication of coral restoration in other seascapes, demonstrating a scalable model for community-led marine conservation.

The Ay and Rhun Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Maluku, Indonesia, demonstrates how climate adaptation and traditional management can be integrated into marine conservation. Part of the globally significant Banda Islands, the area supports diverse coral reefs, seagrass, sea turtles, napoleon wrasse, tuna, and marine mammals, including blue whales. The Coral Triangle Center (CTC), together with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Maluku Provincial Government, customary leaders, and local communities, conducted ecological and socio-economic assessments, stakeholder consultations, and participatory zoning that led to the MPA’s establishment in 2021. The design incorporates climate resilience principles, including protection of resilient reefs, habitat connectivity, replication, and upwelling systems, while revitalizing the traditional Sasi system. This science-based and community-led approach strengthens biodiversity conservation, food security, climate resilience, and effective ecosystem management.

The Agave Restoration Initiative, led by Bat Conservation International, is the world’s first landscape-scale foraging habitat restoration effort for migratory bats. 

To offset agave loss and fragmentation across Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, the initiative is creating a climate-resilient, bi-national agave corridor that supports recovery of three pollinating bats, including the endangered Greater (Mexican) long-nosed bat, and rural livelihoods. The initiative unites 100+ partners (communities, Tribes, private landowners, NGOs, government agencies, researchers, and companies) across 14 states. 

We envision a connected, community-based agave corridor where thriving bat populations and resilient communities and rural economies reinforce each other. Our goal is to plant 500,000+ agaves and protect, restore, or sustainably manage 300,000+ hectares.

By coordinating across a migratory corridor, the initiative is pioneering a model to transform how we restore keystone plants and corridors for migratory species globally.

The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in Querétaro, Mexico—a 383,567-hectare mosaic of cloud forest, oak woodland and semi-arid scrubland—is home to extraordinary biodiversity and 638 rural communities. With 70% of the land in private hands, meaningful conservation requires the genuine participation and economic empowerment of local landowners. Yet, for decades, those landowners had no financial incentive to protect their forests over more immediately profitable land uses such as cattle ranching, logging, and agriculture.

Carbono Biodiverso, developed by Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) in partnership with the Secretaría de Desarrollo Sustentable (SEDESU) of the State of Querétaro, is a locally-grounded carbon protocol that directly addresses this structural gap. It uses a state-level carbon tax mechanism known as Sello Querétaro to connect industrial emitters with forest landowners, paying them competitively for the carbon captured through natural forest regeneration and reinvesting remaining funds in community development.

The MARISTANIS Wetland Contract is an innovative governance mechanism designed to support the integrated and participatory management of coastal wetlands. It addresses the fragmentation of responsibilities and lack of coordination among stakeholders by establishing a formal agreement between public authorities, local actors and other stakeholders.

The contract defines shared objectives, roles and commitments, enabling coordinated actions for wetland conservation, restoration and sustainable use. It promotes dialogue, builds trust and aligns interests across sectors, including environment, water management and local development.

By institutionalising collaboration through a contractual framework, the solution improves governance effectiveness, reduces conflicts and enhances the resilience of wetland ecosystems. It provides a replicable model for multi-level and multi-actor governance, applicable across Mediterranean and other regions facing similar challenges.

Tanzania’s coastal and marine ecosystems are rich in biodiversity but face mounting pressures from unsustainable resource use, weak governance, and social conflict. Community-based conservation actors, including Beach Management Units (BMUs), Village Liaison Committees (VLCs), Marine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU) rangers, Honorary Rangers, and Collaborative Management Areas, have historically lacked structured capacity on human rights, gender equality, and conflict-sensitive approaches. Within the IKI-funded “Pwani Yetu” (Our Coast) Project, two rounds of training were conducted between April and September 2025. A total of 147 participants were trained using participatory adult-learning methods, including role plays, conflict mapping, and case studies, across three integrated modules: 1) human rights frameworks in conservation, 2) gender equality and intersectionality, and 3) practical conflict resolution and feedback mechanisms.Participants co-developed locally owned and applicable conflict resolution and feedback systems.