2011 Solution Search Winners! First-ever Global Solution Search Winners Announced

Rare Conservation   
January 12th, 2012

Credit: WikiMedia

Rare, in partnership with National Geographic, announced the grand-prize winner and runners-up of “Solution Search: Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries.”

Close-up underwater photo of escape gaps on fish trap.

Through online voting at solutionsearch.org, the public voted for their top three solutions. The Wildlife Conservation Society won the grand prize with its solution, “Bycatch Escape Gaps for Fish Traps” in Curaçao and Kenya. It received a U.S. $20,000 prize to support its conservation and resource management initiative. The two runners-up, Off the Hook Community Supported Fishery and the Misool Baseftin Foundation, each received prizes of U.S. $5,000 for their respective solutions, “Fresh. Fair. Fish.” in Canada and “Defending the Heart of Marine Biodiversity: Community Stewardship of Raja Ampat’s Reefs” in Raja Ampat. The winners will receive their awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8.

This first-ever global Solution Search sought applications from organizations worldwide with demonstrated innovations that benefit coastal communities and marine ecosystems. More than 100 applications were received from 48 countries, from which a panel of expert judges selected 10 finalists, with the public choosing the winners. Solutions submitted for the contest includedthe implementation of no-take zones, introduction of innovative fishing gear and the development of alternative livelihoods. Submissions came from across the globe, including Indonesia, Madagascar, Brazil and Turkey.

“For too long the conservation community has focused on problems,” said Brett Jenks, president and CEO of Rare. “But there are a lot of working solutions in remote parts of the planet. These finalists, and particularly the winners, prove just that. By sharing their solutions with the world, they are improving conservation everywhere.”

“Discovering and sharing solutions that restore marine life and human communities is key to changing the broader world of fishing and seafood,” said Miguel A. Jorge, director of National Geographic’s Ocean Initiative. “By telling the stories of these win-win innovations, we hope to inspire more people and communities to transform their relationship with the ocean.”

Platform sponsors are the Goldring Family Foundation, the Barr Foundation and the Cedar Hill Foundation. Judges for the contest were Steve Gaines, professor of ecology, evolution and marine biology, and director of the Marine Science Institute at the University of California at Santa Barbara; Carl Safina, president of the Blue Ocean Institute; Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the Convention of Biological Diversity; Eileen de Ravin, program manager of the Equator Initiative at the United Nations Development Programme; Enric Sala, marine ecologist and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence; Monique Barbut, CEO and chairperson of the Global Environment Facility; and Nicolas Gutiérrez, fisheries scientist with the Marine Stewardship Council.

Related posts:

1. Notes from a rare planet: Coral reef winners and loser (which to try to save?)
2. OneReef: A New Solution to the Age-Old Coral Reef Problem (Q&A)
3. Rare Makes Global Impacts Through Local Actions
4. Rare Pride Campaign Manager named 2011 Distinguished Citizen of Ensenada, Mexico for wetlands protection
5. Clinton Global Initiative Asia Meeting Attended by Rare Staff

This story originally appeared at the Rare Conservation Blog

Visit Rare Planet’s yobo profile here

(+10 rating)

 Loading ...

You might also enjoy:

• Rare Joins Partners in Announcing Call for Nominations for the Equator Prize 2012
• The Challenge of Meditating with Wolves
• Specialized Retail Store Inspires Hobby Beekeepers In Urban Areas
• Ecocide Law would be ‘Game Changer’ for Environment
• Buy a Real Tree For a Green Christmas