Rare Philippines

08/06/2026

This World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, we celebrate a simple yet powerful truth: People have the capacity to change, and so does the future of our planet. 🌎🌊

Some of the most inspiring conservation stories don't begin with experts or policymakers.

They begin with ordinary people making extraordinary choices.

People like Edgar Torres of Bindoy, who once practiced dynamite fishing and later became a champion for responsible fisheries management and marine protection.

People like Arturo "Tatay Toring" Borja of Zamboanga Sibugay, who once cut mangroves for charcoal and eventually dedicated his life to protecting the very forests he once harvested.

Their journeys remind us that conservation is not only about protecting ecosystems. It is about transforming the relationship between people and nature and proving that lasting change is possible when communities are empowered to lead.

Every restored mangrove forest. Every protected fishing ground. Every community that chooses stewardship over exploitation.

These are the actions that create impact far beyond a single coastline.

As we mark World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, we celebrate the individuals and communities showing that a healthier future for our oceans, climate, and biodiversity starts with local action.

💬 Which story inspired you most?
🔁 Share this post to celebrate conservation champions creating change in their communities.

07/06/2026

Rare joins Too Big To Ignore to commemorate National Fisherfolk Day last May 30, 2026 at the UP Visayas Iloilo Campus. The event advanced social protection for small scale fishers and discussed collaborations to ensure preferential rights of artisanal fisherfolk on the use of the 15 kilometer municipal waters.

05/06/2026

Protecting shared waters takes shared leadership 🌊

Rare Philippines is proud to continue working alongside the Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc. (GDFI) and the seven municipalities under the A7 for ICZM alliance as they strengthen inter-municipal collaboration for coastal and fisheries governance in Eastern Samar.

At the First Executive Committee Meeting (EXECOM) for 2026, local government leaders from Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos, Quinapondan, Salcedo, Mercedes, and Guiuan came together to align efforts to protect the coastal ecosystems and marine resources connected to the Leyte Gulf seascape.

The meeting highlighted ongoing work on mangrove stewardship, seagrass protection, fisheries management, and the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU), while also marking an important milestone with the formalization of partnerships with key institutions and agencies.

Initiatives like A7 for ICZM show how coordinated local action can strengthen coastal resilience, fisheries governance, and community stewardship across connected seascapes such as Leyte Gulf.

💬 What other local actions can help strengthen the protection of our shared seas?
🔁 Share to support community-led coastal governance and ocean conservation.

Photo assets from: Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc.

04/06/2026

The first-ever Fish Forever Savings Clubs in Macajalar Bay are here! 💰🐟🌊

Thirty-nine fisherfolk have already signed up — 25 members in the Tablon Fisherfolk FFSC and 14 in the Bobontogan Ladies FFSC, which launches on June 6. This is just the beginning, with more clubs expected to form across Macajalar Bay in the coming months!

For coastal communities on the front lines of climate change, financial resilience is as critical as protecting the sea. The Fish Forever Savings Club (FFSC) gives fisherfolk households a collective safety net by helping them weather economic shocks and the growing impacts of a changing climate, while continuing to invest in sustainable fisheries.

This milestone grew out of the FFSC Training of Trainers held May 19–21, 2026, where 23 participants from local government units, fisherfolk associations, and the Macajalar Bay Development Alliance (MBDA) were trained in this community-based savings and lending model, the first of its kind in Misamis Oriental.

Both Cagayan de Oro City and the LGU Jasaan have embraced the approach as part of the TRANSCEND project and through the Jasaan Fisherfolk Champions Hub.

Together, these efforts mark an important step toward empowering fisherfolk communities to adapt, thrive, and build a more resilient future — one savings club at a time. 🙌

💬 Why is financial resilience important for coastal and fisherfolk communities?
🔁 Share to support community-led solutions for sustainable fisheries and stronger coastal livelihoods.



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The Fish Forever program is being implemented in Misamis Oriental under the Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (TRANSCEND) project. TRANSCEND is a joint initiative between the Republic of the Philippines and the Federal Republic of Germany through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). Designed to raise ambition and align with both international and national climate and biodiversity agendas through local implementation, the project is being implemented by a consortium that includes GIZ, Conservation International Philippines Foundation Inc. (CIPFI), Rare, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

03/06/2026

What does protecting 30% of our seas actually look like?

It looks like local leaders and conservation champions coming together to turn global commitments into local action.

At the Coastal 500 Knowledge Exchange, LGU leaders across FMA 8, together with the DENR-BMB, DILG, and the FMA 8 Secretariat, explore how the global 30x30 target can be translated into on-the-ground action.

Through dialogue and knowledge sharing, participants unpacked the KMGBF targets, OECMs, identified opportunities for conservation, and developed policy recommendations to strengthen coastal and fisheries management across the region.

Achieving 30x30 depends on strong local leadership, active community participation, sustained support from national government agencies, and science-informed decision-making.

Every protected coastline, restored habitat, and sustainably managed fishery begins with people working together toward a shared vision for the future of our seas.

💬 What local actions do you think can help protect our seas?
🔁 Share this to support community-led ocean conservation and stronger coastal governance.

01/06/2026

31/05/2026

Hindi tumitigil ang mangingisda kapag mahirap ang panahon. Hindi rin sila tumitigil kapag lumiit ang huli.

Ngayong National Fisherfolk Day, nagbibigay-pugay tayo sa milyun-milyong mangingisdang Pilipino na patuloy na naglalayag sa gitna ng mga hamon at krisis upang matiyak na may pagkain sa ating mga hapag.

Mula sa pagsikat ng araw hanggang sa pag-ahon ng kanilang mga bangka, ang kanilang trabaho ay higit pa sa paghahanapbuhay. Ito ay pag-aalaga sa ating karagatan, pagsuporta sa kanilang mga pamilya, at pagtulong sa pagpapatatag ng seguridad sa pagkain ng bansa.

Ngunit sa kabila ng mahalagang papel na kanilang ginagampanan, marami pa rin ang nahaharap sa kahirapan, lumiliit na huli, epekto ng climate change, at iba pang banta sa kanilang kabuhayan.

Sa araw na ito, hindi lamang natin sila pinasasalamatan. Kinikilala rin natin ang kanilang karapatan sa mas matatag na kabuhayan, mas malusog na karagatan, at mga polisiyang tunay na nagbibigay ng proteksyon sa maliliit na mangingisda.

Sa bawat huling isda, may kwento ng sipag. Sa bawat paglalayag, may kwento ng pag-asa.

Para sa mga mangingisdang patuloy na nagpapakain sa bayan at nangangalaga sa ating karagatan....

Maligayang Araw ng mga Mangingisda! 💙

28/05/2026

27/05/2026

Habang lumiliit ang huli, lalong lumalakas ang panawagan ng mga mangingisdang tulad ni Lito 🌊

Ngayong National Fisherfolk Month, binibigyang-pugay natin ang mga mangingisdang patuloy na humaharap sa mga hamon ng kanilang kabuhayan habang nangangalaga rin sa ating yamang-dagat.

Si Lito Vizcayda ng Barangay Menoyho, San Juan, Southern Leyte ay mahigit tatlong dekada nang nangingisda upang matustusan ang pangangailangan ng kanyang pamilya at mapag-aral ang kanyang mga anak. Ngunit sa paglipas ng mga taon, unti-unti niyang nasaksihan ang pagliit ng kanyang huli at ang lumalaking hamon na kinakaharap ng mga maliliit na mangingisda.

Sa kabila nito, patuloy siyang naninindigan para sa mas maayos na pangangalaga ng municipal waters at mas mahigpit na pagpapatupad ng mga batas pangisdaan. Bilang isang fish warden at aktibong miyembro ng Fish Forever Savings Club, hinihikayat niya ang kanyang kapwa mangingisda na maging katuwang sa pagprotekta sa dagat na kanilang pinagkukunan ng kabuhayan.

Para kay Lito, ang dagat ay higit pa sa pinagkukunan ng pagkain at kita... ito ay buhay, kinabukasan, at pamana na dapat pangalagaan para sa susunod na henerasyon.

💬 Ano ang mensahe mo para sa mga mangingisdang patuloy na nagsisikap sa kabila ng mga hamon?

27/05/2026