Coastal 500 named as Earthshot Prize finalist | New Day
The Coastal 500, a Philippine-driven global network of local leaders committed to healthy coastal communities, was named among the 15 finalists for Prince William's 2023 Earthshot Prize.
And to tell us more about this, Rare Global Program Lead for Fish Forever Rocky Sanchez Tirona.
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And to tell us more about this, Rare Global Program Lead for Fish Forever Rocky Sanchez Tirona.
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00:00 The Coastal 500, a Philippine-driven global network of local leaders committed to healthy coastal communities,
00:05 was named among the finalists for Prince William's 2023 Earthshot Prize.
00:10 And to tell us more about this, we have with us this morning RARE Global Program Lead for Fish Forever, Rocky Sanchez-Tirona.
00:17 Good morning, Rocky. How are you?
00:18 Hi, good morning.
00:19 All right, let's get straight to it. Let's talk about the Coastal 500.
00:23 You know, RARE helped launch the Coastal 500 in 2021, if I understand it correctly.
00:28 Tell me, tell us a little bit more about this initiative, how it came to life,
00:31 and what are the issues really that we're trying to address with this, you know, gathering and organization?
00:37 Sure, thank you. So Coastal 500 is really a network of leaders, right?
00:41 Mayors are their equivalent, who've come together, who have pledged to protect our oceans, specifically coastal waters.
00:48 Coastal waters are really this area that's high in biodiversity,
00:51 but also so important to millions of people who depend on them for food and livelihoods.
00:56 So Coastal 500 has brought these leaders together, and they've all committed to take action to protect these waters.
01:04 Okay, what are we looking at here? We're looking at the issues of overfishing.
01:08 We're looking at the issues of…
01:09 Destructive fishing, pollution.
01:12 We've seen some very serious cases of it lately, yeah?
01:16 Yeah, essentially anything that affects coastal communities.
01:19 And primarily one of the big issues is really overfishing.
01:22 Right.
01:23 You have to bring communities together so that they can actually make decisions about how their resources are managed,
01:30 so they actually agree to set rules and figure out how to work together to manage it better.
01:38 Okay, well, over a thousand nominees, is that correct?
01:42 Why do you think the Coastal 500 was chosen for a finalist for this prize?
01:45 I mean, you guys were the ones who actually nominated or brought forth the…
01:49 Yeah, it was really a long process. We went through an interview.
01:55 They went to visit our communities and met our mayors in Honduras, actually before we got to this point.
02:01 And I think the reason why the Coastal 500 was chosen is really because it's so important right now to really focus attention on local action.
02:09 Okay.
02:10 It's really about making communities take charge of their resources,
02:14 and then we know that local leaders are the ones that can actually galvanize this.
02:18 What does it mean to be nominated?
02:20 And more importantly, if you are lucky enough to actually be chosen to bag the prize, what does that mean?
02:26 I mean, it's not just a trophy, obviously.
02:27 It's not just a citation or a plaque.
02:29 There's some very real things that come with this prize that can actually really be put towards concrete action.
02:36 Yeah.
02:36 So even as a finalist, we actually really have an opportunity to bring the issue to a global audience.
02:44 It's really making people understand why it's so important to take action.
02:49 They're supporting us through fundraising, through fellowships that can actually help us scale the solution in other ways.
02:57 And then if we win, it's a million pounds that can actually help us do more of this work
03:04 and really bring our mayors together and take them to different audiences.
03:09 Okay. Speaking of those mayors, who are these?
03:13 Who are the members of the Coastal 500?
03:15 And what have they committed to?
03:19 Okay. So here in the Philippines, for example, we have about 60 mayors from coastal communities.
03:26 They've joined us.
03:27 They've actually taken a pledge to take action.
03:30 And there's very specific things, things like setting up no-take zones or protected areas,
03:37 enforcing rules and regulations, allocating financing that's really important, right,
03:41 making it a priority of the municipality.
03:44 And then it's also about showing up at these events and really inviting communities
03:49 to actually change their behaviors and really stick to the plan.
03:54 Why do you think it's been so successful?
03:57 It's really tough, actually, when you have to tell somebody to keep their hands out of the cookie jar when they're hungry.
04:04 You're talking about largely subsistence fishermen.
04:08 You're talking about fishermen who actually have daily responsibilities of putting food on the table.
04:13 And really, when you think about how to solve that problem on a day-to-day basis versus long-term
04:19 and sort of the longer-range issue, how do you get that message across?
04:24 And how do you make a program like this so successful when there are pressing needs
04:29 that these people really need to solve?
04:31 You said it exactly, Paola.
04:33 It's really about short-term and long-term, right?
04:34 It's really helping communities envision what it's like if they can actually take some short-term actions
04:42 and then help them envision what it's like when their fisheries start to recover.
04:46 When it's not there at all, yeah.
04:47 Yeah, well, both ways, right?
04:49 Either the bad or the good.
04:50 But I think a lot of it is really about helping them imagine that if we take these steps now,
04:56 there is a reason to hope and there's a reason to be optimistic in the future.
05:00 And then the mayors are so critical to this because they're the ones that can actually inspire this action, right?
05:06 If communities need to see that mayors are behind them and foresters need to know that the mayors have their backs, right?
05:14 So that they can actually do these steps.
05:17 And I think that makes a difference.
05:18 And then COSA 500 brings these mayors together and they actually can become a support system for each other.
05:24 This is one thing to have one person on their soapbox talking about what can be and what should be.
05:30 But it's actually a concrete action when a large group like this comes together,
05:37 particularly not just here in the Philippines.
05:38 I mean, here, you said we have 60, over 60 or so, but all over the world.
05:43 I think we're seeing some very big changes in terms of the way the resources are present,
05:50 that the water temperature is changing, fish is moving away simply because they need, if I understand it correctly, cooler water.
05:56 So they're moving away from these traditional coastal fisheries and we're finding less of these.
06:01 So we do need concrete solutions.
06:04 What would you say are the main responsibilities or commitments that these communities have to make
06:11 in order to be part of the COSA 500 and see to it that action continues to actually happen?
06:19 Right. I think for coastal communities, the main things are, one, really protection.
06:24 So last year, the world passed the global biodiversity framework, right?
06:29 And one of those things is really protect 30% of the world's oceans.
06:34 Okay.
06:34 So that's a huge commitment that countries signed on to.
06:38 And coastal communities have a role there.
06:40 But I think the important thing is that we understand that coastal communities play a role in protecting,
06:46 but at the same time, they have to be the ones to benefit from this.
06:49 So part of that commitment is really making sure that this protection redounds to better livelihoods and food for the communities.
06:57 All right. Well, it's an ongoing journey.
07:00 It's not a destination. It's a journey and the journey continues.
07:03 And here's hoping that a million pounds would come in very handy.
07:07 It's a very heavy price, quite literally.
07:10 And yeah, we're hoping that it works out for the best for you guys.
07:13 Thank you so much, Rocky, for being with us this morning and telling us all about it.
07:17 It's a pleasure to have you.
07:17 Thank you.
07:18 Bye-bye.