AID cooperative agreement no. FAO-0158-A-00-2056-00 with Conservation International for a program entitled `economic approaches to marine resource conservation in the Asia and Pacific Region"

CI will work with local NGOs -- the Tubbataha Foundation (Philippines), Maruia Society (Solomon Islands), and Yayasan Pembangunan Masyarakat Desa (Indonesia) -- to help communities and businesses develop community management programs based on sustainable economic use of marine resources and reinvestment of revenues into conservation. Activities will follow policy frameworks developed specifically for each site; the most successful approaches from each site will be applied at other sites and elsewhere in the region. Site development will be based on models from the Philippines, where local fishing communities have organized community marine sanctuaries that emphasize local management of resources, exclusion of destructive fishing techniques, and promotion of ecotourism. Some of the unique aspects of CI"s program include working with entire ecosystems, and within indigenous structures and traditions.