Mainstreaming the recovery of marine fisheries and ecosystems through collective action and science

Mexican marine ecosystems are not exempt from overexploitation. Approximately 17% of the Mexican fisheries are overexploited, 70% are at the maximum sustainable yield, and only 13% are underexploited. With 41% of the Mexican population living in coastal municipalities and 11,000 coastal communities with less than 15,000 habitants mainly relying on the marine resources and ecosystems, sustainable fisheries are crucial to ensuring employment, income, and food security for many people.

COBI has developed four building blocks to reverse the degradation of the marine environment: 1) capacity building of leaders and fishing organizations, 2) sustainable fishing, 3) marine reserves, and 4) support to public policies. For each, COBI develops demonstrative models that can be adopted by fishing organizations and other stakeholders in Mexico and elsewhere.

The transversal elements of our work are collective action, citizen science, and gender equality.

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2024

IUCN guidelines on responsible translocation of displaced organisms

Displaced organisms are individuals and groups of animals, plants, or fungi that have been recovered from legal or illegal trade, driven from their habitats through habitat destruction or human-wildlife conflicts, displaced or incapacitated by catastrophic events (fires, floods, and extreme weather events) or climate change, or captured or collected by humans. The full scale of irresponsibly translocated organisms is difficult to measure as most are unrecorded. Following the steps in this guidance, attempts can be made to maximise the conservation benefit of translocations of displaced organisms.

2025

Guidelines on harvesting threatened species

Societies around the globe harvest wild species, to a greater or lesser extent, for food, building materials, healthcare, medicines, pest control, ornamentation, income, recreation, and cultural and spiritual purposes. While this use of wild species directly contributes to the well-being of billions of people globally, over-exploitation of wild species is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. The IUCN Guidelines on harvesting threatened species advise decision-makers on whether, how and what to harvest to ensure the sustainable use of threatened animal, plant and fungal species. Drawing on insights from the IPBES Sustainable Use Assessment, they complement and expand on existing guidance and tools, such as the Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of IUCN Red List Data in Harvesting of Threatened Species and recent CITES guidance on the conduct of Non-Detriment Findings.

2025

Practice guidance for protected and conserved area finance

Protected and conserved areas (PCAs) have been proven to provide enormous value to nature, people and the economy. They are an effective means by which species, habitats and ecosystems can be conserved, restored and sustainably utilised. This Guide provides detailed frameworks, descriptions and insights into the use of conservation finance solutions to achieve PCA outcomes. The guidance presents the case for PCA investment and sustainable finance, describes the role and use of finance and economics to achieve PCA outcomes, and presents guidance on how to conduct strategic and practical financial planning in support of these outcomes.

Women-led Fire Management in Ngao Model Forest

Ngao Model Forest in Lampang, Thailand, faces significant wildfire challenges due to agricultural burning, which affects the environment and local livelihoods. The community, led by a team of women in Ban Pong village, has successfully managed to keep the area fire-free for the past decade through regular patrols, awareness campaigns, and the use of modern technology. Their efforts have not only reduced wildfires but also expanded community forests, created economic opportunities, and empowered women in leadership roles. This initiative highlights the importance of community engagement and sustainable practices in addressing environmental issues while bringing social and economic benefits.

Sustainable farming that benefits people and nature in Thailand

Ngao Model Forest, located 250 kilometers from Thailand’s second-largest city, spans 175,159 hectares. Established in 1964 to address social, economic, and environmental challenges, it joined the International Model Forest Network in 2000. The community’s shift towards sustainable practices has preserved over 60% of forest cover and diversified economies with bamboo businesses, medicinal plant cultivation, and edible insect farms. Biodiversity conservation is central, ensuring species survival and contributing to global carbon emission reduction.

MARRS at Work: Restoring Coral Reefs in Tun Mustapha Park

Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) is Malaysia’s largest multi-use marine protected area, supporting diverse coral reef ecosystems and coastal communities that rely heavily on marine resources for their livelihoods. However, like many coral reefs globally, parts of TMP’s reef systems have been severely degraded due to destructive fishing practices, climate change impacts, and other human-induced pressures. To address this, a large-scale coral restoration initiative was introduced using the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS) — an innovative method that uses hexagonal steel structures, called reef stars, to stabilize rubble fields and accelerate coral regrowth. A key strength of this initiative is its emphasis on collaboration and local engagement. The project actively involves local communities and stakeholders fostering a sense of shared responsibility in reef rehabilitation. Through these partnerships, the project has improved coral cover and fish habitat, and strengthened stewardship of marine resources.

Strengthening Community Governance for Sustainable Mangrove Restoration in Kilifi, Kenya

In the south of Kilifi County, Kenya, deforestation pressures intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic led to extensive degradation of mangrove ecosystems. In response, WWF-Kenya, through the Bengo Project, partnered with the Kenya Forest Service and the Mtwapa, Takaungu, and Kilifi Community Forest Associations (CFA) to restore these vital landscapes. This solution focused on revitalizing community governance by restructuring the CFA, building local capacity through training on governance and leadership, and developing a Mangrove Participatory Forest Management Plan. Other actions included supporting community-managed mangrove nurseries and deploying trained community scouts. The initiative restored 47 degraded mangroves, enhanced community ownership, improved local livelihoods, and increased resilience to climate change, demonstrating how empowering local institutions can lead to long-term ecosystem recovery.

Innovative Technology Empowering Biodiversity Protection in Montenegro

In response to growing environmental challenges, Montenegro is embracing digitalization and new technologies to safeguard its biodiversity. As part of the “Biodiversity Mainstreaming into Sectoral Policies and Practices and Strengthening Protection of Biodiversity Hotspots in Montenegro” (GEF 7) initiative, the project has facilitated cross-sectoral and multi-institutional cooperation while piloting innovative solutions aimed at improving decision-making processes and biodiversity protection through enhanced data collection, institutional collaboration, and the application of new technologies.

Securing Sustainable Lion Populations and their Connectivity through Promoting Coexistence with Communities in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Lions like any other big carnivores need large, connected areas to thrive, but in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, human-lion conflict—especially due to lion-livestock attacks—has prompted to retaliatory lion killings. To address this, KopeLion developed the Ilchokuti model which involve training and employing local pastoralist young warriors from Maasai and Tatoga pastoralist communities. These trained individuals monitor lions, warn herders of the presence of collared/non-collared lions, recover lost livestock, and respond to conflicts. By reducing threats to both lions and livestock, the Ilchokuti help foster coexistence and build community support for conservation. Their work has improved tolerance for lions, reduced lion killings, stopped traditional lion hunts and enabled safe movement for dispersing lions across village lands. As a result, lions are increasingly seen as a valued part of the landscape, and the Ilchokuti model is now a vital part of securing sustainable lion populations and connectivity in the area.

“CAZ4Lemur” Capacity building and joint action with the local community in Madagascar

This solution is set in Madagascar’s Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor (CAZ), a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot that shelters numerous endangered and vulnerable lemur species. The project site, Fierenana—a rural commune in the western CAZ—is designated as an Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) site, uniquely identified as the only place on Earth where at least one critically endangered species survives in its natural habitat.

Despite this ecological importance, conservation efforts face major challenges, including habitat degradation, weak law enforcement, and limited local capacity. The solution, implemented through the “CAZ4Lemurs” project with support from BIOPAMA, addresses these issues by empowering local community-based organizations (COBAs) to manage forest buffer zones and monitor lemur populations. The initiative has enhanced patroller skills and fostered law enforcement. Environmental education is being integrated into school curricula, while legal training strengthens enforcement, and promotes livelihoods.

Enhancing a participatory approach to ecological restoration with the River Guardian Program of Koitajoki

Koitajoki Watershed Restoration is a basin-wide river restoration project. The 200-km-long Koitajoki River flows through peatlands and boreal forests in the borderlands between Finland and Russia. The restoration project takes place on the Finnish side of the watershed. Since the 1950s, the river system has suffered from hydropower construction, peatland drainage, forestry, as well as gold and peat mining. The restoration project aims to bring key features of the Koitajoki watershed back to ecological health by restoring drained peatlands and dredged streams and rivers. The project was initiated by the non-profit Snowchange in 2022 and it is on-going at least until 2027.

In 2023, as part of the restoration project, Snowchange established the very first River Guardian Program in Finland. It is a community-based monitoring program with 18 local individuals, families and communities from the Koitajoki Watershed who all share a passion – recovering Koitajoki as seen through the local socio-cultural matrix of lived landscapes.

Resilience Assessment and Adaptive Collaborative Management of Shanglin Community’s Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes (Chiayi, Taiwan)

Shanglin community (Chiayi County, Taiwan) is a plain landscape with predominantly Han Chinese population. Bamboo shoot cultivation is the main production activity. The riparian zones of bamboo and secondary forests in the area are home to the endemic Farmland tree frog (Zhangixalus arvalis). It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. In recent years, the decline of the bamboo shoot industry and changing land use patterns have led to its habitat loss and fragmentation.
In 2018, the Chiayi Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency began promoting Farmland tree frog-friendly farming practices in Shanglin community. In 2021, resilience assessment workshops (RAWs) were used as a tool to better understand local challenges and align conservation and development priorities. RAWs results elicited the need to enhance biodiversity-based incomes and diversify marketing channels, effectively manage water quality and quantity, and strengthen the residents’ resilience to natural disasters.