Coastal Communities Take Charge of Ocean Conservation with Data-Driven Approach

Cisco's Voices from the Field series has highlighted another innovative approach to marine conservation, this time in Belize. The London-based nonprofit Blue Ventures is empowering coastal communities to rebuild fisheries and restore ocean life. With support from Cisco Foundation's $100M climate commitment, they're bringing their vision to life on the coast of Belize.

Breanna Mossiah-Conorquie, Belize Country Director at Blue Ventures, believes that conservation efforts are most effective when community members take charge. 'Conservation efforts exist because people exist,' she said. Blue Ventures is working closely with fishermen like Ron Escobar and Victor Jacobs to help them collect and interpret valuable data on fishery health.

The Community Fisheries Data system developed by Blue Ventures allows small-scale fishing communities to make informed decisions that improve ocean health and local resilience. By training community members to collect data, they can determine where and how much to fish, supporting strategic decision-making. This approach has already shown proof of success in Indonesia, where community-owned data informed the drafting of a national management plan for Octopus cyanea.